Kazusa Densetsu
by ProfessorPalmarosa
Summary: As soon as Hashirama's body is laid to rest, the race for the Hokage seat begins. Friendships dissolve, good men die far from honorable deaths, conspiracies abound, and it leaves everyone wondering: will Konoha even survive this mess? If so, there's no guarantee it will even be the same place when it's all over...
1. Prologue

"If _I_ had that much responsibility on my shoulders, I'd crack and disappear, too."

"Then it's a good thing you don't have it, _Tenjin-dono_."

Business was booming as of late, but not without attracting the worst kind of attention. Smaller nearby nations had sent mercenary after mercenary toward Konohagakure no Sato in the hopes of taking down the First Hokage.

To date, nobody had taken Senju Hashirama down. The closest record went to a Takigakure mercenary named Kakuzu. Upon Kakuzu's failure, the whole of Konoha roared with their Hokage's achievements: both proud and relieved that they still had such a powerful man as their great guardian.

Perhaps they'd build peace with the people of Takigakure someday, perhaps not. They certainly showed no plans of doing so today.

Even the Uchiha Clan got a good laugh out of Hashirama giving that Kakuzu bastard more than he bargained for. Village pride could be a thing, they realized. Many Uchiha had it, but few had truly profited from the creation of Konohagakure more so than Uchiha Tenjin: the Son of a Thousand Fires.

This evening, he invited several of the finest and most promising young men from his clan to join him for a very important reason. It wouldn't be the first time he acted as an impromptu lead since their clan head abandoned his responsibilities and the village.

Although he was born into one of the clan's lowest ranking families, Tenjin carried more political clout in the village than any other remaining Uchiha. It hadn't taken much to strong-arm his way into an unofficial "regent" position, considering the clan's heir was still below the age of majority. Leaving the Uchiha Clan in the hands of a steward was better than entrusting everyone's fate in the irresponsible hands of an inexperienced teenager.

Tenjin, who didn't believe in hiring servants even after finding his fortune in this new village, poured another round of sake for the group. He hoped to get them good and buzzed before the night waxed philosophical.

"The mess that man left behind, though…it's unsettling, isn't it? That we could be so _vulnerable_?"

One of the men at Tenjin's table, Setsuna, was an old favorite of Uchiha Madara. Setsuna wasn't terribly moved by Tenjin's behavior and oftentimes grounded him back to reality by reminding him of his humble beginnings. A beggar's son would never lead this clan. It was that simple.

And on this particular evening, Setsuna chose to shake his head at Tenjin's statements. The conversation would soon go toward the clan's Great Disappointment: their next in line. "He didn't leave a son behind to build the dynasty we'd hoped for. All we have is the daughter."

And _what_ a daughter at that! She was big-boned, harsh-faced, foul-tempered, vulgar, and carried herself at a height rivaling some of the larger men. If she'd been beautiful or submissive, at least, then this matter could have been salvaged.

Sadly, there were far lovelier girls in the clan and the mere thought of some unlucky man having to actually _marry_ Uchiha Kazusa turned Setsuna's stomach. Sure, he wanted power and Kazusa was the gateway to that, but she was so very, _very_ unattractive.

Since her birth, Kazusa was a symbol of the new ways replacing the old. However, since day one, problems arose. Her mother spent the next three weeks recovering from complications with the birth, only to die afterward.

Things did not improve as she grew, either. The Senju Clan repeatedly tried to calm the Uchiha Clan into keeping the peace within the village. Hashirama hadn't been above trying to bribe their clan head's daughter with a pet cat, not that the clan permitted the girl to keep it because of what the animal represented.

"Someone has to marry that cow just to secure the line."

Even Setsuna felt _cow_ was a bit too cruel a metaphor for their heiress. He chose to glare at Tatsumi: a fellow veteran of yesteryear who once held favor with the old reign.

"I concur," Tatsumi murmured. "If we leave everything up to Kazusa, she'll never go through with it. The line will wither and we'll have to start all over again."

' _That's not a valid option_ ,' Setsuna realized.

The others drank and laughed, making wisecracks about their heiress. They teased, saying she was a son in all but the parts where it counted. Others said her eyes were crazy enough that her future husband would need to put a bag over her head just to screw her.

"You're going too far with those jokes," another man in the group, Naka, hissed. "I don't hear any of you talking about how Tenjin's pretty daughter is as flat as a board." The laughter stopped, save for one man in the back who had caught a case of drunken giggles. _He_ quit when Naka glared. "The fact is seventeen years old is far too young to expect a woman to lead a clan without issue. How much do you want to bet the Senju Clan laughed until their sides hurt when we made the news public?"

If anyone would know among them, Tenjin would. His key partner in the Konoha Expansion Campaign was Senju Toka: the Hokage's first cousin. Their professional relationship had opened many Senju doors to him. He fancied himself to be a progressive man. The others, especially Naka and Setsuna, fancied him as a sell-out.

Tenjin slowly shook his head. "That was a mistake on our part. We shouldn't have announced _anything_ until we confirmed an engagement for Kazusa. We're in bad enough graces with the village as it is. I'll try to salvage what I can, but this may be beyond even myself."

" _Your_ reach has limitations?" Setsuna rolled his eyes and once again passed on the sake. He preferred to keep his mind clear at all times. All it took was one instance of a woman drugging his drink in the old days and waking up with a knife pressed to his jaw for him to swear off alcohol forever. "Who knew!"

"Enough with the sarcasm, you ass," Tatsumi growled. "In the meantime, we need to scramble and saddle the horse before she thinks she can run things by herself."

Naori, the only woman to be invited into the group, rolled her eyes at Tatsumi's remark. "You are _such_ a sexist." As Naori saw it, gender wasn't the issue: _age_ was. The previous clan head took over at too young an age and everyone's expectations for him were too high. The village was new, all these new ideals came forward, and Madara had to sort out all the chaos for himself.

Keep everything under control. Keep peace with old enemies. Build alliances left and right in case the village _didn't_ last…but not saying such things aloud because that could be construed as treason or talk of revolt…

And now the daughter would have this burden across her back, sturdy though it appeared to be. Perhaps she could support, step forward, and start grooming her into the sort of leader this clan would need. Marriage, though…she couldn't imagine that any of the men in this group would be a good choice for the girl.

Tatsumi huffed again, downing the whole contents of his glass. Greedily, he held out the cup toward Tenjin, expecting him to pour more. Of the whole lot, his face was now ruddiest. " _Am_ I sexist? We had so many issues with the last one and we allowed him to run wild. You want to do that again, Naori?" Silence all around. "I thought not."

Tenjin shook his bottle a bit, noticing how empty it was. "If Kazusa doesn't marry, I suppose it isn't a total loss. There's nobody she favors more than my daughter."

And they all knew why. Tenjin began cultivating that friendship from the time the girls were infants. Rumor was his wife intentionally induced labor on the same day as the clan head's wife so the girls would share a birthday. If Tenjin actually planned such a thing, it worked; the girls were practically inseparable.

"I'm sure she'll marry one of my sons if Naho suggests it."

And that was even more of a problem. Setsuna saw the writing on the wall with this family. Tenjin was a snake and always had been. He'd carved out his own private empire and made many powerful friends over the last seventeen years.

The Hyūga Clan signed their agreement to enter the village by negotiating with Tenjin, not Hashirama. He'd twisted the Hokage's arm into bringing the Inuzuka Clan under the Konoha banner, even though Hashirama's chief official from the Mitokado Clan begged him to reconsider.

He buddied up to several shady people in the village, mostly Senju, and helped the village expand by becoming the Shodaime's go-to for arson and scorched earth techniques. Many neighboring cultures who refused to bend before the Leaf met their end, thanks to that man. He was rewarded handsomely for it, too.

And with all that affluence, Tenjin grew overly confident and sure of himself. Setsuna was one of the few who remembered him as the scrawny wraith who was willing to do _anything_ if it meant he could feed his invalid mother.

Gold silk garments, saffron-infused cuisine, and a fancy house did not a noble make. So long as Tenjin's contemporaries lived, they'd remember him first and foremost as a beggar's son. No amount of gilding could change that.

Though he was a master manipulator; Setsuna could give him that, at least. Considering all the slippery, unethical, cutthroat things Tenjin pulled in the name of building his own private dynasty, few men were hated inside the clan more than he. The problem was the _village_ liked him. That and their heir was little more than a puppet Tenjin's daughter could control.

"You don't like my proposition to have her marry one of my sons, Setsuna?" Tenjin grinned. "Then maybe you or Tatsumi should consider that arrangement for yourself _._ Before this village was even founded, you and Hikaku were the left and right hands of–"

Naka slammed both of his palms on the table, causing Naori's cup to fall over. Tatsumi swore. Tenjin appeared slightly startled. "Enough of the circle jerk, you pompous ass! We didn't come all this way just to stroke your ego! We came here in the hopes of discussing a solution to our problem!"

It dawned on everyone then that they had none…and that was a truly terrifying prospect.

…

Konoha's drinking age was technically twenty, but no one really enforced it. Besides, the two of them had well earned a chance to sit on the dock together and share a bottle of plum wine. They weren't alone. A pair of boys sparred with each other in the background. The occasional glow of a fireball lit the quickly dimming sky.

In this heat, the two girls sat together in their light blue yukatas and fanned each other. "Sometimes I think you never sweat," Kazusa remarked, noticing how neat and put-together her friend was.

Naho had to be one of the prettiest girls in the village, even though she smoked and sounded like a hoarse old crone when she talked. She wrinkled up her nose playfully and tapped Kazusa's arm with the edge of her fan.

"What's your secret, Naho?"

Naho scooted closer, resting her head on Kazusa's shoulder. The bigger girl could smell her friend's osmanthus perfume and felt a tad excited over the scent. "Maybe it's the burns," Naho whispered.

In such close proximity, Kazusa had a good view of the tight, hairless pink skin from where her friend accidentally burned herself years ago. Naho came from a line of amazing arsonists and her family could boast a flame hotter than most Uchiha could accomplish. The first time Kazusa saw Naho release a blue katon, she'd watched in amazement as metal melted like ice before it.

But the jutsu came at a great cost to the user. Naho practiced without supervision and permanently mangled her chest as a result. Her ribs were black inside, charred from her actions. Her voice came out as a weak wheeze. It was coarse and rough, and it didn't take much to start her on a painful coughing fit.

Her brother Muraki needed to have an arm amputated because he burned it down to the tendons and couldn't be salvaged. And then there was Naho's father with his tight pink hands that threatened to crack if he stretched them too far.

"I think it ruined my sweat glands…not that you should try it." Naho nuzzled up, giving Kazusa her most winning smile. "Settle for smelling like a sweaty pig and bathe later. Save yourself the trouble."

Kazusa caught sight again of the glow. Both boys training in the distance were familiar to her. Then again, what sort of future leader didn't recognize everyone in the clan?

Uchiha Sarani was out there trying to help sweet curly-haired Kagami improve his aim on throwing shuriken. "You're getting there!" she heard Sarani call out to the boy. "Come on. Let's go and do it again. This time, further away."

Kagami stopped when he realized other people were watching him and happily waved. Kazusa waved back.

"My father says those burns are going to make it more difficult to arrange a marriage for me," Naho admitted, dragging Kazusa back to their conversation. "I think you're the only person outside my family that's seen me up close like that." It was true; she tended to favor high-collar tops and kept her chest hidden almost all the time. "You'll have better offers come around. After all, your father was–"

Kazusa let loose a slow annoyed growl as she downed the rest of the bottle. She rolled her eyes as she swallowed down gulp upon gulp of alcohol. ' _Marriage._ _ **Marriage**_ _. Why the hell should I even think about marriage right now?'_ Would it put the clan in great jeopardy if she waited a few more years and picked somebody then?

Many girls thought about marriage and their future husbands. Naho certainly did. She'd practiced some of the ceremonies and nudged her father a few times, telling him quite openly which men in the clan she fancied. She'd flirt, too, knowing many of the men found her attractive. To girls like her, attraction was a game and she quite liked to win at it.

Kazusa, by comparison, would have been perfectly content spending the rest of her days adopted by Nekoba and her ninja cats. "Stop talking about it, okay? It makes me feel like a piece of meat." Naho let loose a tiny huff of annoyance, but she didn't go anywhere.

Within her, Kazusa felt something grow. It wanted out and who was she to stop it? A loud belch came out, big enough to make the boys stop what they were doing and stare. Kagami even double-checked to see if it made the lake ripple. "What? Think you can do better?"

Naho groaned again and nudged her shoulder into Kazusa's side. She rested her head on her taller friend and gave her a fake-pleading look. "Please don't encourage them. They'll actually do it."

Considering Naho had five older brothers, she spoke from experience. She could already see Kagami excitedly swallowing a ball of air in an attempt to force a belch. All that came out was an itty bitty baby burp. "Congratulations, Kagami. You're nasty. Go play with Sarani someplace else."

Kazusa laughed, feeling another big bubble build in her chest. Maybe she could set it alight and entertain the kid a bit more.

Naho, on the other hand, gave her a judgmental glare and managed to stop her friend being so unladylike. " _You're_ nasty, too," Naho insisted, arms folded. "Sometimes I wonder why we're best friends. It defies all logic. We couldn't be any more different if we tried!"

"I suppose. You're all prim and proper and I'm…" Well, _tomboy_ was perhaps the most flattering way of putting it. She'd heard far worse from the clan and village.

"You're…?" Naho's smile turned contagious. Kazusa found herself grinning back, easing in until the tip of her nose touched Naho's. A low laugh built up in her throat as she goosed her friend's sides with enough surprise to make Naho squeak. The willowy girl yelped, lost her balance, and fell in the water.

"Ha! I finally got you!" Kazusa thumped the dock with the flat of her palm, roaring in amusement until she felt Naho grab her ankles. A good squeeze there could topple her over and Naho knew it. Within a split second, her rump hit the dock. "FUCK YOU, NAHO! STOP!"

Her legs kicked and flailed, but Naho refused to let go. She was dripping wet, unkempt, and hellbent on dragging her friend into the watery depths beside her. Kazusa continued to flail until her ass touched water. She hit the lake with a graceless _splunk_ and sank like a stone.

When her head resurfaced, she spat some of the lake water at her friend. "This is no way for a new tokubetsu jōnin to behave." Naho gave Kazusa's braid a hearty yank. "I mean it, Kazusa. You're a _jōnin_. You'll need to start acting like a leader soon, too."

Kazusa grinned, bumping her brow against Naho's before goosing her sides again. "Today's not that day."

"What did I miss?"

Both girls turned around to see one of Kazusa's teammates. "Kariudo!" He'd been a longtime friend of hers ever since they first met. If anyone understood her better than Naho did, Kariudo did. "We're wrestling in the lake." Naho protested, but Kazusa put her hand over her mouth. "Want to join us? The water feels–"

"Look, I came out here to deliver some news."

Whatever that news turned out to be, Kariudo wasn't his usual goofball self. "Why so somber, Kariudo?" Kazusa inquired. "You make it sound like somebody died." When his expression only worsened, she felt a chill. "Who…?"

Kariudo squatted, holding out his hands to pull the two young women out of the water. Naho went first. Kazusa required both hands. Once they sat together, both girls dripping and the Inuzuka youth despondent, he uttered the message he'd sought to deliver in the first place.

"I came out here to tell you the Shodaime's dead."


	2. End of an Era

Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime Hokage, was dead.

That fact above all others resonated in Kazusa's brain as she took mental inventory of how many different families and faces she recognized among the mourners. However much she wished to view of the people present, that didn't intrigue her anywhere near as much as the form hidden beneath a scarlet banner with the Konohagakure leaf symbol embroidered in gold thread.

' _That can't be his real body.'_

Considering how many nations placed a high bounty on the First Hokage and tried to recreate his legendary Mokuton techniques, his family would be foolish to put him on display. It had to be an effigy under there, but Kazusa carried at least enough respect in her heart to stop herself before she asked an older shinobi to confirm that.

The entire field was covered in flowers ranging from sunshine yellow to garnet. Most were orange like an open flame. Uzumaki Mito, the Hokage's widow, stood among the flowers with the sort of grace and dignity one expected from the goddesses of legend rather than real people. Although Mito's tomato-red hair had faded to more of a strawberry hue in her late middle age and her face bore crow's feet, furrows, and laugh lines, the Uchiha heiress found herself transfixed by that woman. Eternal beauties were real and the Nine-Tails jinchūriki deserved such a title.

Mito's three children (some grown, some not) stood with her, greeting and thanking everyone for coming. The littlest one wouldn't stop crying. He was hardly the only one. Although most of the Senju Clan kept solemn and silent, everyone dressed in white for the service. Women sobbed. Several men kept their heads lowered in respect for the passing of such an influential man.

The first clan head to step forward, Kazusa noted, was Inuzuka Okami. Alongside her came her pack of wild wolf-men and her son, Kariudo. Although Mito was a beauty, the same could not be said for Okami. With her wild white hair, sun-wrinkled face, claw-like nails, sharp teeth, and fondness for wearing furs even in summertime, the Inuzuka head resembled a mountain hag or some kind of _yokai_.

"The whole of my clan howled in mourning when news was brought to us," Okami began, kneeling before Mito. "The Shodaime's death is a loss for the whole village, not just your family. You have my condolences, Mito- _sama_." Okami held her grizzled head high, showing she still represented a proud clan known most for their unwavering loyalty. Her claw-like hand shook Mito's dainty and delicate-looking one. "Your hell hounds are going nowhere, old friend. We'll stay with this village."

"I appreciate your sentiment," Mito confessed. "Okami- _sama_ , my husband and I always held your clan in high regard. The fact the Inuzuka Clan continues to see this village as their home, even with Hashirama gone…it means more than you know."

Okami spoke a few more words before allowing the next leader to come forward and offer condolences. "Kariudo," she called out to her son. "Stay if you wish. Pay your respects to our Hokage. There are people I must talk to." She headed to the far western corner of the field. Kazusa recognized immediately who the Inuzuka head chose to converse with and it left her uneasy.

' _Why is she talking to Tenjin-oji?'_ Okami wouldn't be the last to do so.

As Okami departed, the stern leader of the Hyūga family stepped forward and pushed his two young children to join him. Kazusa knew Amano- _sama_ had both a son and a daughter, but she couldn't tell which one was which yet. With the long hair, the matching white outfits, and such similar faces, they may as well have been twins rather than a year apart.

One of the Hyūga children made a funny face at Kazusa. She gave the brat the evil eye and he (or she) quit. Just as Okami before him, Amano made his way toward Uchiha Tenjin after consoling Hashirama's family for their loss. Tenjin welcomed the Hyūga head with open arms to whisper in private. The Aburame head, Mukade, broke the routine by paying his respects to the Shodaime's brother after offering a rather terse condolence to Mito.

What Kazusa gleaned from each of these leaders all boiled down to the same few things. Hashirama was a great man. The village was his gift to everyone. They had so much to be grateful for, having him as Shodaime for so long. He was well loved and would be sorely missed.

' _It's all face,'_ the young Uchiha realized. ' _They're doing it for show and nothing else. There's no care attached to those words.'_

She knew all about the concept of face. Time and again, _face_ in her clan was cause to drive her father into deep fits of depression, leaving him with a sense that he'd failed them all. _Face_ was why the elders in her clan glanced at her with disappointment in their dark eyes. If her father couldn't give them a son, couldn't he have at least sired a respectable daughter?

 _Face_ meant they'd be polite to Kazusa's face and talk trash about her the moment she was out of earshot. Now she had to suspect some of these people would treat the Hokage's widow in such a way.

Mito seemed to realize it, too, considering the way her gaze went toward her brother-in-law and a handful of other whispering men. Maybe some of them were sincere. The Nara head's wife was so upset when she spoke that Kazusa couldn't understand her between the sobs.

But Kazusa's clan held no such sentiments for the deceased. They saw Hashirama as a man who proposed a solution that would create a tentative ceasefire. The village wouldn't last forever. The Hokage was an idealist who dreamed too high and forgot the very nature of human beings. This village began with a handshake between their two clans as terms of peace. And yet Senju Hashirama was hardly a name that carried much love (if any) within the Uchiha households.

Kazusa wasn't too familiar with the deceased on a personal level, but she'd met him a couple of times. There was a hopeful optimism to Hashirama, always wishing for a better future. He didn't seem quite as naïve as the angry old men and women in her clan wanted her to believe.

"…Kazusa." She turned around, noticing Setsuna behind her. "We would prefer to have only one representative from the Uchiha Clan speak with Lady Mito." Any more than that and they'd look overly friendly. "What do you plan to say to her?"

"Should I say something similar to the others?" She glanced up at Setsuna, hoping maybe he could give a suggestion. He'd done such a great job of bossing her around throughout her childhood. She supposed she'd give him cause to do it again, but he cringed at her suggestion. "Bad idea? Very well. What do _you_ suggest, Setsuna? Any advice for me?" Oh, he seemed to eat _that_ up.

Then again, almost every eligible man in their clan acted similarly these days. They paid her nearly no heed until recently. Now she felt like a lone cat in heat with a bunch of power-hungry toms around. _Nasty_.

Setsuna was the worst. He'd been a close friend of her father's: a younger man in the clan who valued his loyalty and carried a similar set of ethical beliefs. "Tell her how you really felt about Hashirama," he proposed. "But make sure you only speak for yourself and not the clan as a whole. We have yet to put any faith in you and Lady Mito needs to know that."

They didn't have to. Kazusa's feelings for Hashirama conflicted between what the village expected and what the clan expected. She didn't know him well enough to cast a personal judgment, but he'd given her one of the greatest gifts she could have had growing up: a lifelong friend whose kittens and grand-kittens grew into a whole colony of companions.

She knew what to tell Mito.

"…thank you for your words. I know what to say now." She walked past Setsuna and the others, making note of just how chummy Tenjin appeared to be with the Inuzuka and Hyūga leaders as she passed. What were they talking about? And what was Senju Tobirama discussing with the Yamanaka and Aburame families?

By the time Kazusa stepped forward to pay her respects before Hashirama's family, she noted the head of the Akimichi Clan moving toward Mito as well. This woman stood like a colossus: massive, impossible to pass, and truly something to behold. When she saw the Uchiha girl, Akimichi Chōmei respectfully gestured for her to go ahead. "Thank you."

Near the Senju Clan, Kazusa felt her heart beat faster. From her earliest memories, her clan had intentionally encouraged her to stay away from the Senju. And here they were, all of them. Her display would have to be the biggest of all, she decided. Otherwise all this tension and animosity would carry over to the next generation.

The others had shaken hands and given a small bow. She held out her arms to offer the widow a hug instead. It felt more personal and she carried a very vague memory of the man with the sunny smile giving her a hug when she accepted Bōfūu the cat. "Mito- _sama_ , I am _so sorry_."

Mito paused, slightly taken aback when she saw the fluffy-haired girl approach her, but Kazusa was unmistakable for anyone else. The other Uchiha girls her age were beauties with delicate and graceful appearances. This poor dear was handsome, but in a strong and mildly masculine sort of way. Even her voice sounded low and husky.

"Why are you sorry? _You_ didn't kill him."

It was an icy retort and one Kazusa hadn't quite expected. Then again, perhaps she did. A lot of those old animosities still belonged to the generation before hers and now she knew this woman still carried such reactions as her immediate response. Mito realized right away she'd spoken impolitely and sighed. "I apologize for my rashness, Kazusa- _san_. It's been a trying day."

"I can imagine." Kazusa took a few steps closer, arms still outstretched in an attempt to console and comfort. "You'll miss him and it may take a while before things feel normal again. My heart goes out to you and your family, Mito _-sama_. I want to know if there is anything I can personally do for you."

She felt Mito's arms wrap around her. Up close, she smelled the widow's chrysanthemum perfume. Such a scent couldn't have been any more appropriate. Chrysanthemums stood alone as the only fall flower. As everything else died, they bloomed.

"Why would you offer?" Mito whispered in Kazusa's ear. "It's kind of you, but…" Her eyes went toward a group of young boys nearby doing all they could to hold in their tears. Kazusa recognized them right away.

Sweet little Kagami was there. So were his friends from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. They were only genin: the first generation to fully grow and flourish within the village. Today was a day they'd never forget, and possibly never get over.

"Let's not pretend to be ignorant, Kazusa- _san_." Kazusa- _san_ , not Kazusa- _sama_. She'd said it twice by now. "My husband was not well liked by your clan."

"That may be, but he gave me something I never managed to have in my clan. When I was little, Shodaime- _sama_ gave me a kitten as a birthday present." She remembered Bōfūu with such love in her heart. "He was soft and smoky gray with copper eyes and a little button nose. That animal showed me more love than any human ever did. I never would have had that sort of love in my life if it hadn't been for the Hokage. I wanted to thank him somehow." But she knew this didn't extend to her whole clan. "I can't speak for my clan yet, but…"

Mito nodded slowly and gave Kazusa's face a gentle pat. "When you do, I wish you good fortune, a long tenure as their clan head, and a family you can be proud of someday…like I am with mine. But something troubles me with what you said. I remember that animal. Hashirama didn't choose him. _I_ did."

In fact, Mito remembered it quite well. Hashirama was in a near panic that day, scrambling his brain in trying to figure out what would be a perfect gift for that little girl. She apparently didn't like playing with dolls or wearing pretty dresses like their daughter did, so even flowers felt like a cop-out. Mito finally saved the day by pointing out that her cat recently had kittens. They would need homes.

He'd stared at her for a moment, very much taken by the idea, and called her a genius. When he returned home without the little cat, Hashirama made a point to tell Mito in detail just how excited _Kazusa-chan_ had been with her new friend. For the rest of the week, he mentioned to Tobirama and their cousins that Mito saved his ass in what could have been a major setback in Senju-Uchiha relations.

"From what I remember, you didn't keep him."

"I–"

"I know your father put you up to abandoning the cat. He was a very complicated man and he tried so hard to keep the peace for years. You had a loss recently, too. I'm aware." Her hands moved to hold Kazusa's. They were so _warm_ , as if a small sun burned brightly inside this strong and enduring woman. "You live alone now, don't you?"

"I'm a tokubetsu jōnin now, Mito _-sama_. I'll be fine." But Kazusa masked the hurt in even thinking about her father's abandonment.

If the village ever found him, they'd put him down like a mad dog. They all knew it, but if Kazusa learned anything from him over the past seventeen years, it was how to carry herself as a thousand times stronger than she felt inside. "And one day soon, _you'll_ be fine, too, Mito- _sama_. You're a strong woman and that is something I will always admire. I wish I could carry myself as you do."

Mito gave Kazusa's hands one last squeeze. "Will you visit me at the end of the week? I wish to talk in private with you once my grief is not so strong."

"Of course…though I think I should take my leave so Kagami and his friends can come forward to pay their respects. They look heartbroken."

…

"Such _formality_ at these things! We never saw a funeral this elaborate in our day," Okami growled under her breath as she swaggered over toward her associates. "Did you ever see anything with this much pomp in all your life, Tenjin? It must have cost a fortune!"

"Then it's a good thing the Senju Clan has become so wealthy." Tenjin's hair always reminded the Inuzuka head of a serpent's nest. Thick curls coiled about, too heavy and long to defy gravity. "But to answer your question, I served as a bodyguard for a warlord in the Land of Grass once. While there, I witnessed such a funeral."

 _Bodyguard_ had since become the politically correct way of saying _assassin_. With peace and unity came the need to cover up the sketchier jobs with euphemisms. Inuzuka Okami saw it as a pain. Back in her day, they called things what they actually were. _Assassination. Murder. Genocide. Sabotage. Blackmail._ "That was you?"

Tenjin smiled tightly. His whole face seemed too tight in Okami's eyes. _Waxy_ , even. But she supposed professional arsonists always had such looks to them: dried, tough, and unafraid to feel the heat. "He was a bastard son to the Daimyo's half-cousin and therefore had only an infinitesimal claim to succession. The main family had grown fat, lazy, and affluent."

His dark eyes briefly wandered back toward the great dead man everyone came to see, then back to his friend. "We took them down in one fell swoop: _nineteen_ before sunrise."

"You're talking about the Land of Grass campaign?" Hyūga Amano stepped forward, grinning. The moment his back was turned to the Senju Clan, he simply couldn't help himself. "That's quite a story, Okami. One of Tenjin's best. You didn't leave a single survivor behind. Why did they come up in conversation?"

"I asked him if he'd ever seen a funeral this fancy before." Okami shrugged. "I don't get it. We simply have our dogs bury a hole as deep as they can go and throw our own back into the earth. We bury them, and then we sit around to swap our best stories about our dead. We drink, we eat, we remember, and then we move on. Come to one of our funerals sometime, Amano. You Hyūga need to live a little."

"My employer's claim to lead was no longer in question. A mass memorial service for an entire dynasty is what I witnessed before my sons and I left." Tenjin started this story. He intended to finish it because he had a point to bring up, waiting to see how Okami and Amano took to it. "It wasn't anywhere near as big as this: for _one man_."

Amano groaned, rolling his white eyes. "It's excessive. They've already carved his face into the mountain. Now this. A second Senju Hokage could bankrupt the village, especially if this turns into a repeat performance."

"Doing _what_?"

The Hyūga head gestured at the sea of flowers before them. "I serve on the village council as the head of the treasury. You didn't hear this from _me_ , but Hashirama's estate spent a fortune on the flowers. They're all native to the Land of Whirlpools. Thirty shinobi imported these things for the sole purpose of showing unity."

Tenjin craned his neck a bit, checking to make sure nothing they said would be overheard by people suspecting them of ill will or treason. Briefly, his eyes locked with Kazusa's. He gave her a phony smile and waved, hoping he looked friendly enough to quash any suspicions. Then he returned to his conversation. "Maybe they'll be as savvy as my benefactor was in the Land of Grass." Now he knew he had them hanging on his every word. "Do you know what he did?"

Okami had her hands on her hips, clearly becoming exasperated. "No, and I wish you'd get to the point already. I know you. If you share a story, there's some kind of moral to it because you're fucking weird." She heard her stomach growl. As polite as she'd been before Mito, she felt she'd already paid her dues. Now all she wanted was to catch up for a short while with old allies and eat.

"My benefactor performed his coronation at the same spot the following day. The decorations weren't taken down, but rather recycled for a second purpose. Death one day, rebirth the next."

Amano and Okami stared at him, stunned that he would dare to be so bold. When Tenjin asked him how much the flowers cost—not to mention the grand memorial stone to immortalize Hashirama's Will of Fire—the Hyūga head's face turned white. When he proceeded to ask why these specific flowers were selected, the unease in the air only intensified.

"They're Mito's favorite," the Uchiha man announced. "I have reason to strongly believe she will do as the present Grass Daimyo did and waste no time. She has no intention of fading into obscurity. Look at how she's positioned herself."

"Yeah. Hugging the Uchiha heir apparent," Amano jeered. " _Really_. You need to teach that girl that her every action's going to be scrutinized. Leaders can't be so chummy with old enemies."

Okami grimaced. She knew Kazusa well, considering the Uchiha girl was teammates with her son Kariudo. "God forbid _Setsuna_ marries her," she sighed. "He'll undo all the hard work and effort this village, your clan included, placed into a unified front."

Tenjin chose to ignore that, mostly because he didn't see Setsuna in such a light. He'd try to talk some sense into that girl later, but in a way Kazusa would accept: through his own daughter.

"Uzumaki Mito understands the world never stops to mourn the passing of an age, no matter how golden," he explained. "It merely demands the new one start right away. If we drag this out, we won't elect Hokages. We'll be calling Hashirama and his family _Hokage_ indefinitely. The seat is vacant, my friends, but it won't stay that way for long. We need to band together and push an ideal Nidaime candidate to be placed for vote; the sooner, the better."

Amano cringed. "And in order for that to _work_ , we need to be unified on who we choose. You're going to propose one of your own, I presume?" Tenjin's little smile only validated Amano's fears. "Not Setsuna, I hope."

"Don't insult my intelligence, Amano. You were right the first time; I'm proposing one of _my_ own. How would my friends among the Inuzuka and Hyūga Clans feel about politically backing my son Kaizen as a candidate?"

Before they could answer, he noted he wasn't the only man talking in whispers at this funeral. Senju Tobirama chose to do the same thing with a couple of concerning powerful shinobi. "Naho, dear? Do your father a favor, would you? Catch up with your Yamanaka teammate and find out why her clan head and his sister are talking to the Shodaime's brother."

As Naho walked away to chase down Yamanaka Hanako, Tenjin sighed. "Some days, I consider myself blessed to have such obedient progeny. There are so many defiant children in my clan, yet I don't have the authority to discipline them. Such a shame."

"Maybe you should consider marrying one of your sons to your clan's wayward heiress," Okami proposed. "You have _five_ of them, after all. You could be de facto clan head."

Tenjin laughed, which caused a few heads to turn his way. He cleared his throat in an attempt to make them go away. "My dear Okami! I'm focusing on something more important than my clan right now. The Hidden Leaf Village must always come first. So…will you back my boy or not?"

…

' _You aren't fooling anyone, you slimy bastard. I know you're scheming over there.'_

And if Senju Tobirama could deal with Madara and his melodramatic bullshit for a whole lifetime, then a snake-in-the-grass like Tenjin wouldn't be much of an issue…aside from his brazen ambition.

That was the thing he disliked the most about that guy, even if he had been Hashirama's friend. Sure, Tenjin was enough of a self-starter—Tobirama felt the term _mercenary_ was more apt _—_ to do whatever missions the village requested of him. Eminent domain, scorched earth clearing, contract arson, expansion projects, enemy sabotage: Tenjin was quite good at those things, but that didn't make him anyone Tobirama wanted in his inner circle. Tenjin was slippery, glib, and insincere.

This was why he requested an audience with Aburame Mukade and Yamanaka Osamu. Osamu might be able to spread support with the Nara, Sarutobi, and Akimichi clans later, as he'd done in the past. However, they needed to talk about this in detail first. Not at the funeral, though. There were far too many prying eyes here.

' _Yes. I_ _ **see**_ _you. Try not to look so hungry, Tenjin. My brother's not even in the ground yet.'_

Technically, he was. Hashirama's effigy sat out there for the purposes of the memorial service, but how many people here truly knew that? Tobirama already caught Uchiha Kazusa attempting to sneak a peek.

They had grown up together through hardships only their generation could imagine. Through this village, Tobirama had come to learn more about the other families and some of the darker practices these comrades of his once endured. Hashirama was the only one who remembered Itama and their other fallen brothers. Hashirama knew every skeleton in the closet and considered himself blessed to have at least one living brother left.

Now Tobirama realized that those among him weren't as different as his father, Butsuma, would have him believe. He'd come to know all these other leaders. Some had endeared themselves to him and turned into valued companions. Others, he didn't much care for, but he could at least fake civility. It wasn't like he was Hokage…yet.

Through their past grievances, he managed to find similar pains with those who stood beside him. From there, he could understand.

Mukade's family performed a ritual for all clan members to become a living hive to insects that ran the risk of killing them. They lost many children as a result, including all of Mukade's would-be brothers and sisters. Mukade also had yet to bring a living heir past the ritual. And yet this was tradition. A living heir would be a formidable shinobi someday. The Aburame never bred subpar shinobi. _Ever_.

Osamu and his sister Yanagi lived under the tyranny of their demented uncle for years until the twins managed to murder the man in his sleep. Osamu was only fourteen years old when Hashirama's dream of a village came to fruition. Realizing the Yamanaka Clan was vulnerable and would do better under this unified banner, Osamu not only pledged his clan's allegiance to _Konohagakure no Sato_ , but even assisted with negotiations among his clan's old allies.

While Hashirama tried his best to chase after the Uchiha Clan his whole tenure, trying to make amends with them and turn them to his side, Tobirama focused on the others and reaped the reward. Mukade and Osamu had (without any prompting) come by to tell him about their clans' undying support for his campaign.

"Look at him," Yamanaka Yanagi grumbled, narrowing her slate gray eyes. "You're about to have your hands full."

"Out of respect for my brother, we're keeping this short," Tobirama demanded. "I thank you for paying respects to my sister-in-law. I'm sure you meant every word." Yanagi muttered a low _of course_ and took her place beside her older brother, wrapping her arms around his right arm. She and Mito had been colleagues for years. Considering the line of work Yanagi did, rumors abounded.

For somebody who had been little more than a scrappy blonde brat when the village was founded, Osamu had since grown into a large, herculean man who towered over Tobirama and most others. "Would you have us over at your place later? We could drink to Hashirama's memory."

' _To his shortcomings, in other words,'_ Tobirama mused. If they didn't go into this with a plan, then there was no telling who the village would choose to nominate. "I would like that. Mukade. Osamu. Yanagi." All three cast their eyes upon him. "This is unprecedented. We lost our First Hokage. How we handle the election of our Second will change the course of history."

He needed to know who all planned to run. Judging from how cozy the Inuzuka and Hyūga heads appeared to be with Uchiha Tenjin, and considering some of the issues in the past the Uchiha had caused for the security of the village, it was safe to assume either Tenjin would run or encourage one of his spawn to do it.

"When do you want us over?" Osamu inquired. "Or would you prefer to meet at my home?"

"I know _my_ place is safe." Tobirama wouldn't budge on this matter. "I need to stay for the whole of the ceremony." This was, at least, the last time he'd ever have to say goodbye to a brother. "I'd venture to guess nine or ten tonight may be the best answer. If that's too late for you–"

"You just lost your last remaining sibling. Take as much time to grieve as you need." Osamu bowed in respect, prompting Yanagi to do the same. "My sister and I will see you at a time most convenient for you. Do not trouble yourself with the two of us." Because, in the end, it would be too late anyway if they pushed this out even until sunrise.

They _needed_ a plan.

…

Tenjin. Tobirama. It didn't bode well either way. There were still so many ambitious men in this village.

' _I have seen greater kindness for the dead among carrion birds. They at least wait a brief while before making their move.'_

In an ideal world, she would have time to process her grief and sort out her own feelings regarding her late husband's loss before stepping forward as a temporary regent. This was no such world, not with jackals like the arsonist and entitled men like her brother-in-law vying for power.

All these flowers were her gift for Hashirama, but they also delivered a message to this village. Just as they had placed their faith in her husband for all these years, Konohagakure owed it to give that same faith to her. Where Hashirama was unable to mend old wounds, perhaps Mito could.

Her clan was known worldwide for being a long-living breed. An Uzumaki could possibly lead this village long enough to set it on the right path before everything burned and turned to ash.

Tobirama had a firm grip on keeping order in the village, but he had a reputation for being cold and sometimes rubbed a handful of clans the wrong way. Tenjin was self-serving and carried an equally icy heart in his chest.

To her knowledge, Mito had few true enemies in Konoha. She'd come before everyone with such dignity and grace, always saying what was proper and expected of a lady.

' _Surely some of you will support me and understand that I am here to kill the last of the old bitterness.'_

She knew Hashirama's dream. Her dear idealist husband set up the groundwork, but a harsh second leader could undo everything. Even then, the fact that things had to go directly to politics without giving the village (and herself) proper time to grieve was merely the way of the world.

Her true tears and grief could be shed in the privacy of her home among her children and nobody else. Only they would know which tree would be nourished by Hashirama's body. At home, she could remember his gentleness, his sincerity, and how he sometimes worried over her homesickness.

It was an arranged marriage, after all, and a politically advantageous one. They courted, but he didn't stop to think about her feelings on the matter until their actual wedding night. She grew to love him and made sure that, as a good wife, she'd always be there for him.

' _And now that you are no longer here, I promise you. Hashirama, I will watch over this village and build it into a true representation of unity, brotherhood, and kindness.'_ She knew where to start. True shinobi and true wives endured. They would all see.

Gracefully, she made her way toward Tobirama and gave a polite bow. He and the trio of shinobi near him returned the gesture. "Will you join us tonight, brother-in-law? The children and I wish to have the family together in a final remembrance." But already, she could see it in his eyes.

Hashirama had to love her. Tobirama didn't.


	3. Candidacy

Leave it to Naho to know precisely what to say and do to lift her spirits. Through her, Kazusa had been introduced to the wonderful world of aromatherapy and massage. A nice and pleasant perfume could do wonders to boost her mood. "The Yamanaka Clan swears by lavender oil's soothing effects."

"And you learned about this through Hanako, I presume?" It made sense. Kazusa hadn't spent much time with Naho and her teammates, but she knew there was a very smart Yamanaka girl on that team. Hanako embroidered with grand mastery and had a penchant for perfumes and fragrances. She knew her essential oils. "If you did, ngh…tell her I thank her."

"I will." Naho leaned her lips closer to Kazusa's ear. "You'll feel like a new woman by the time I'm done with you. But my goodness, Kazusa. You're so tense…"

Kazusa liked the sound of _new woman_ almost as much as she liked the sensation of Naho's nimble, dainty fingers flexing and stretching across her strong, broad shoulders. Naho knew how to rub in the oil and massage just right without it hurting. All the knots and lumps Kazusa felt in her muscles from once again challenging Kariudo to a spar turned lax and supple. "A new woman, eh?"

"Just don't get _too_ new with me. I quite like my Kazusa just the way she is." That sounded even better than _new woman_. "Though I find it odd you're inviting me to spend time with you when you won't even go to clan meetings. You haven't wanted anyone to come by to check on you since your father left." But she felt she knew the answer. "Is this because of the Shodaime?"

No. It was because of the ambitious dicks who had since started to view her like a gateway to power and nothing more. Kazusa's antisocial behavior as of late had everything to do with feeling devalued. Was that all they saw her as: a chance to marry into a leadership role? Was there _anything_ of value to her other than that?

"A little," she agreed to tell her friend. If she couldn't talk to Naho, then who else could she trust within her clan? "Did you see how quickly everyone started to whisper at the funeral? The Shodaime wasn't even in the ground yet, and all people wanted to talk about was who should succeed him."

"Were they? I didn't notice." Naho most certainly did, but she knew precisely what to say and do. Her hands continued to work the oil deep into Kazusa's skin, leaving the gentle aroma of lavender well into the air. "You aren't thinking of throwing _your_ name out there, are you?"

"Hell no!" Kazusa huffed her annoyance, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her surly face. "But it had me thinking the men in our clan aren't treating me any differently than everyone treated the Hokage's corpse." They flirted with Naho. They simply looked at Kazusa with what she could offer. "I don't think I'm going to take a husband."

"Then how are you going to produce an heir? Don't you want a family of your own someday?"

Without her father around, the house felt so empty. Still, out of habit, she'd announce her return home when she came back from a mission. Now nobody responded most days aside from her cats. Sometimes Naho surprised her and prepared dinner as a treat for the both of them. For those evenings, Kazusa felt grateful. The rest of the time, she only felt lonely.

No one else reached out to her and never had. She knew how deep their care for each other went. "It's not like you can marry me," Naho teased. "And who's to say you'll do it right away? Court a while, make them beg for your attention and fight each other to get to you. Turn it into a game."

Naho missed the entire point. She treated it like a joke, but a part of Kazusa truly did wish she _could_ marry her. Naho understood her down to her very core and pulled her out of some very dark places. When everyone else in her world wandered off, Naho remained. Always and forever: her eternal best friend. "Can I confide in you? Tell you something?"

"I can give you tips on how to win them over. You simply aren't taking care of yourself. You're–"

"Naho. Stop." Kazusa felt her whole body go slack on the table. Her voice sounded weak as it left her lungs. "I don't want to think about marriage because the very concept of it terrifies me."

She never dated. She never flirted with any of the boys in the clan or made wanton eyes at an older man. What scared Kazusa the most was a fear that she'd never love anyone as much as she loved the girl currently in her room.

" _Fearless Kazusa_ is afraid of something? Come on! You held your own in battle after battle. I personally saw you take down a man two ranks higher than you when you were only fifteen. You beheaded a Takigakure mercenary when he tried to get his hands on Tochiko's little brother. You–"

But she felt the trembling in Kazusa's body. ' _It's something else, isn't it?'_ This, too, she knew. ' _I suppose you always were a little weird.'_

Naho and some of the other girls would play dress-up, have tea ceremonies, make matching outfits for their dolls, and practice putting on makeup together. All the while, Kazusa would prefer to go outdoors and ask the shy Aburame kid to tell her more about his bugs. Naho only touched mud for massages. Kazusa used to play in the dirt.

Naho learned the wiles of womanhood. Kazusa learned to hunt with a bow and arrow. Naho embroidered. Kazusa played fetch with Kariudo and his smelly dog. Naho once charmed a prince before setting his castle alight. Kazusa…

That's when it hit her. All that adoring friendliness, the hugs that lasted a couple of seconds too long, Kazusa practically _glowing_ in delight every time the two of them spent a short while alone together: it all made sense. "You don't like men, do you?"

"I don't know," was the weak reply. "I'm just scared I won't love anyone as much as I love you. I _adore_ you."

"…I know." But she couldn't pacify her friend this time. Marriage was something Kazusa would simply have to do. "But you know you can't have me, don't you?" There was no reply. Naho stroked Kazusa's hair and gave her shoulder a kiss. "I love you, too, but this isn't going to work. What if…" She had a proposal to make. "What if I set you up with one of my brothers? Just a date?"

The small sigh leaving Kazusa's big body may as well have been consent.

"Kaizen is clever, just like me. Handsome, too. Once he comes back from his mission, he'll run for the Nidaime position. Play your cards right and if this works out, you might end up as our Clan Head _and_ the wife of a Hokage. You know…like Lady Mito."

But did she want that? Was that enough?

…

Although Senju Tobirama requested to have the first meeting at his house, the second meeting of his inner cabinet took place within a Yamanaka home. Osamu and Yanagi chose to bestow this honor on a dear cousin of theirs, which was why Hanako slaved away in the kitchen all afternoon baking things for her honored guests to eat.

Hanako knew Osamu- _sama's_ favorite food without ever having to be told. The same was true for Yanagi- _sama_. Every Yamanaka knew such things because their clan carried no secrets. Privacy didn't exist among them, nor did hidden thoughts or desires. For a Yamanaka, everything was open to the clan from birth. Such was how Osamu- _sama_ ran his clan.

They spoke virtually nothing on the subject to outsiders, but they understood the need for constant psychic surveillance. Eighteen years ago, just before the village was founded, a madman ran the Yamanaka Clan and nothing short of drugs and assassination could take him down. Osamu feared somebody doing the same to him someday, which was perhaps why Yanagi was the only immediate relative he spared. Every person who conducted business in this district had no choice but to bare their minds before their leader or risk being seen as duplicitous.

 ** _You aren't to read Lord Tobirama's mind when he visits, Hanako_**.

She knew. She could, at least, turn her humble home into a place where good ideas and plans could be cultivated like her beloved herbs. The whole place smelled strongly of citrus in an attempt to keep her visitors alert and refreshed. An undertone of mint would energize yet put at ease. Her herb-infused water would keep everyone cool and levelheaded.

Aburame Mukade was the first to arrive, not that he'd said anything to his teenage hostess. Hanako served him water and fresh fruit. The man sat in silence, reviewing what appeared to be a report of some sort. "Mukade- _sama_ , I'm not used to having the heads of other families in my home. It's an honor." The man didn't reply. "What else can I do to accommodate for–"

"There's no need, cousin," Osamu announced. "See for yourself who has come with me!" Sure enough, Hanako caught sight of Yanagi and Senju Tobirama. A large grin spread across Osamu's lion-like face because he _knew_ this meeting would be pivotal to the future of the campaign.

' _You're so transparent, Yanagi-sama,_ ' Hanako thought, turning her gaze toward her older cousin. Yanagi wore her most striking kimono this evening: embroidered in willow-print brocade, eggplant on lavender. Her pale gold hair was tied back with a pearl-beaded snood and she'd spared no expense in painting her face to be beautiful. ' _You're putting on a show for the Hokage's brother.'_

Hanako supposed she understood why, but to delve any deeper involved prying on the main family and she had no right to do this as a mere first cousin. "You look even lovelier than you _typically_ do, Yanagi- _sama_ ," Hanako cooed. ' _Mostly because you're well past your prime and no amount of balms can hide your wrinkles now.'_

Yanagi smiled falsely and hugged Hanako. "Is it any different for you, little cousin?" she whispered, a hint of blackmail in her voice. "I know who you fancy, too. I encourage you to turn your mind to other things and mind your own business. You're here as a hostess, nothing more. Let the _adults_ talk."

"Having a meeting of the minds with your cousin, Yanagi?" Tobirama inquired, tilting his head in confusion. Women could be catty. This was true in every clan, but none of them had quite mastered the fine art of passive aggression, equivocation, and double entendre anywhere near as well as the Yamanaka Clan. Yanagi and Hanako could wage silent wars between brainwaves for hours and the world would be none the wiser.

A bit of color flushed to Yanagi's face, though she hid that pinkness behind a fan when her brother laughed and gestured for everyone to sit. Hanako made a round with the water pitcher and made her place far into the background.

"You'll have to excuse these two," Osamu plainly stated. "They have to goad each other every time they're under the same roof. I'm sure you have cousins who do the same thing."

Tobirama sighed in exasperation, nodding his head in agreement. "Toka's the worst offender," he confessed. Yanagi chuckled, admitting she could see that. She positioned herself close to her brother, but also near Tobirama.

Tobirama paid Yanagi's gesture no heed. His eldest nephew, Morirama, had married a Yamanaka woman and now that clan felt a bit too chummy with the Senju for his comfort.

These two, at least, had proven over the years to be two of the most loyal friends he could ever hope for. The twins both assisted him with bringing to light several different internal attempts to rid the village of Hashirama. As the most gifted psychics within their clan, they could break into any mind, unearth even the most buried of memories, and reveal all.

"Maybe we should get this over with and start talking," Mukade suggested. "I doubt the others running for the office are sitting around and talking about their families."

"…that is the longest I've ever heard you talk," Osamu quipped. Mukade merely shrugged. "Sister, I think _you_ should start. After all, you're the one who visited your best friend today." And he knew damn well what he was doing by encouraging her to go first.

Yanagi took a sip of her water and poised herself elegantly. "As you know, Uzumaki Mito and I have been close since Osamu and I first came to this village. Until a Second Hokage is nominated, Mito will act as regent for the village along with an ad hoc committee. I believe your name is on that committee, Tobirama." She heard a grunt of annoyance. "She plans to run."

"Would that be so bad?" Mukade inquired. "Women are capable of leadership." He gestured toward Yanagi. "Your program was living proof of that."

"Her sex isn't the issue." Tobirama kept his arms folded and refused to drink when Hanako came by with the pitcher again. "Stop asking, girl. I don't want any." He propped his legs up on one of her chairs. "The _issue_ is that Mito has no experience as a leader. She is a kindhearted, well-intending woman, but that isn't enough. She's quite naïve."

He knew the Yamanaka twins would agree with him. "A Hokage must instill fear in the village's enemies to deter them from attacking us. Law and order, as well as the enforcement of those laws, must be put in effect. Tell me if any of you can picture Mito signing a Date of Execution form. Or leading us into battle, for that matter."

There was dead silence.

"She's a gifted diplomat, but the village isn't secure enough to place a pacifist in charge. Not to mention she's our jinchūriki. What the hell are we supposed to do if she's captured? We'd lose two valuable people at once if she wears both titles indefinitely. I know she's your friend, Yanagi–"

Yanagi fanned herself. "She isn't my _only_ friend, sir. Her claim isn't as strong as yours."

Osamu raised his glass as if the infused water were sake. Tobirama still refused to partake. "I wasn't close to you on the battlefield when your brother breathed his last, old friend, but I validate your claim that he wanted you to succeed him."

Tobirama raised an eyebrow. Indeed, he made that claim. It was the truth, but now he had to suspect Osamu of something else.

Yanagi put the fan down and stared at her brother in disbelief. "Don't tell me you read his brain!" Osamu calmly confirmed his actions with a nod of his head. "To do that to the _Hokage…"_

"I agree, Yanagi. Your brother had quite some nerve to do something so brazen." But Tobirama wasn't fazed. He remained calm, as though this were a simple civil conversation. "If you did that, Osamu, then you already know the one at the funeral was a fake."

"That wasn't where I read the brain, Tobirama," Osamu clarified. "Like I said, I fought in that same battle. A fresh corpse can still retain memories until stage two decomp begins."

On the one hand, Tobirama felt offended and violated for Hashirama's sake. This irreverent ghoul stripped his brother of any last shred of privacy he died expecting to have. On the other hand, he knew Hashirama was already dead and wouldn't feel these slights or offenses. It did also confirm his dying will. "For your own sake, Osamu, I suggest you change the direction of this conversation before you anger me further."

Yanagi scooted a bit closer, making a tiny smirk with her mouth. "I know who all plans to run," she offered. "Sarutobi Sasuke is where most of my brethren plan to vote. He's trying to curry favor with the Nara and Akimichi families, too." And he'd probably get it. Sasuke was a great man and loved by many. "Naturally, the Yamanaka will vote where _we_ tell them to vote."

That merited a small eye twitch and a faint grunt from Tobirama, but no words.

"I'm surprised we aren't seeing a Hyūga run," Osamu grumbled. "Amano's arrogant and pompous enough–"

"I think he likes his treasury job too much to risk losing it in a political struggle." Yanagi shrugged her narrow shoulders. "I predicted we'd see a candidate from the Shimura family, considering how proud they are. Zocho's _thinking_ about it, but so is Daichi."

"Daichi would be a _disaster_." Tobirama wasn't going to go into much detail with these two, mostly because everyone at this table already knew those men. If a Warhawk like Shimura Daichi took the Nidaime spot, he would put the whole of the village under martial law and insist on reinstating the old ways on a grander scale. "Saru's little friend doesn't need anything else to inflate his ego."

"Speaking of huge egos," Yanagi continued, "you were right about Tenjin."

God _damn_ it. "The firebug's running?"

"Almost." Yanagi huffed out a tiny sigh. "He's trying to garner support for one of his sons." Naturally, they'd ask which one. They wouldn't like the answer. "Kaizen's in the running and apparently Tenjin found favor with the Hyūga and Inuzuka Clans for the campaign."

Tobirama didn't look quite as concerned as she suspected he would. Quite the contrary; he appeared to be on the verge of laughing. "He needed to do that. More than half of Tenjin's clan can't stand his family and he knows it. Without outside support, he can't boss them into supporting his brat. Kaizen's on a mission abroad, anyway. Maybe we'll have this matter resolved before he returns."

"And Sasuke?"

"Sarutobi Sasuke is an admirable man and a seasoned veteran. If I lose to him, we'll still have a decent Hokage in office. Let his campaign run its natural course."

Mukade glanced up from his water. "And the others…?"

"Find whatever dirt you can on the Uchiha candidate. For good measure, pry into the Shimura candidates, too." The village wasn't quite ready for a candidate from either of those houses, _especially_ not those candidates. "All of them."

"We have helped you over the past eighteen years, sir. We plan to continue doing so for as long as it takes to keep this village safe and secure." The twins knew this was their contribution to the future of the village. They would pry as only their clan could.

' ** _Go forth,_** _'_ Osamu's thoughts rang clear as a bell for Hanako and every other Yamanaka to pass by on the street just outside the girl's home.

' ** _Make your minds voracious. Permit nothing to leave your grasp until you glean every secret, hidden memory, and shame known to the other candidates and their closest people. Find affairs, miscarriages, murders, bribes…spare nothing_** _._

 _'_ _ **And then, when you feel you have it all, bring it to me. Spare me no detail**_ _.'_

…

The village required a diplomat to represent them in case of foreign communication. As regent, Mito could keep Konohagakure operational until her appointment as Nidaime became official. "How sincere do you think they were at the funeral?"

Across from her sat a bespectacled brown-haired man in a bright red tapestry jacket. This tired-looking gentleman, Mitokado Miharu, belonged to one of the smallest shinobi families within the village and learned the fine art of poetry and coercive writing while serving in the Fire Daimyo's court as a bodyguard. He posed as an imperial scholar the whole time so as not to alarm the other court officials.

Those skills were put to good use time and again. Miharu wrote most of Hashirama's public speeches, took detailed accounts of the first council meetings and the structure of the village. Beyond this, the history books released to the Konohagakure Ninja Academy and to the Konoha Archives were his words to craft.

Today, Mito recognized Miharu as the village's Director of Propaganda. He'd commissioned musicians and artists to immortalize those who deserved it and could make offending traitors disappear from village history with a few pernicious pen strokes. "Do I have reason to worry?"

Miharu accepted the tea the Uzumaki woman offered him, savoring the flavor. "Yes, my lady. There are several who feel they want this position, but you're the only woman running. You may strike a chord with some of the ladies in this village, but there are many men who don't feel we're ready for such an era."

"In my homeland, most of the families were matriarchal," Mito grumbled under her breath. "Did you ever visit the Land of Whirlpools in your travels?" Miharu didn't answer. He placed the tea to his lips once more. "Who are my greatest obstacles?"

"The Uchiha Clan's candidate, whoever it is, and your brother-in-law. It doesn't take a psychic to predict that." The loss of a spouse could be devastating, but she'd persevere. Few human beings were anywhere near as resilient as the men and women of the Uzumaki Clan.

"Miharu- _san_ , you wrote all of my husband's ceremonial speeches. In fact, you wrote _all_ his speeches." Mito's eyes narrowed as she leaned forward. "For the purposes of continuing this tradition, I would very much like for you to write _my_ acknowledgement speech for the regent position until we officially declare a Nidaime." The Daimyo was well on his way. "Will you do me this honor?"

"For your interim lead, yes. Beyond that, I can't get involved. Publicly endorsing a candidate before the final decision is cast could cost me my job. People could retaliate or worse."

For instance, they could go after his son.

"As the others step forward and fight for the position, I'll stay out of their affairs and focus my efforts on preserving the loving memory of your husband's tenure as our Shodaime Hokage. The next generation will need a solid account for the history books, after all."

" _Speaking_ of the next generation…" Mito turned her head toward the door. "We can talk about my husband's final wishes for the village later. Until then, please take care of yourself." As Miharu stood up, Mito bowed before permitting him to depart. The man wasted no time in turning his back and departed from the side exit.

The front door slid open slowly, creaking from the intentional delicateness of the new guest. The wild-haired silhouette of the Uchiha heiress caught Mito's attention immediately. It didn't matter how much hard work and effort Kazusa put into taming her hair enough to braid it; it fluffed out and became an unruly mess in mere minutes.

For a brief while, neither lady uttered a word. Instead, they locked eyes with one another: dark on dark. Mito chose to be the first to smile, hoping it would show her guest she meant no harm. ' _You're as out of place in this unstable world as I am. Aren't you, Kazusa-san?'_

With every dainty step Mito took, Kazusa crept forward in longer, bowlegged gaits. An almost childish eagerness came from the tokubetsu jōnin as she bowed before the Shodaime's widow. By the time Mito shook hands with her, Kazusa smiled broadly. Half of that enthusiasm first appeared to be fake, but Mito supposed the girl was nervous.

"I thought you'd be too busy keeping the village on life support to want to see me," the Uchiha admitted. "How hard is it?"

"It's like trying to stop the Nakano River with my bare hands," the redhead confessed, watching as the teen's brow furrowed. "Please, make yourself comfortable. I intend to meet with the various clan representatives to discuss some future changes I'd like to see."

"…oh." Kazusa glanced down at her hands, using her sharp pinky nail to scrape the dirt from the quick of her opposite hand's index finger. " _More_ politics. I see. This is what you meant when you said you wanted to talk to me?"

"You sound disappointed."

Kazusa's black eyes moved toward the ground, occasionally lifting to gaze at Mito before returning to her feet. "Hn."

Mito watched, noting every action her guest took in her private parlor. There were ladies and then there were awkward girls. This young thing, by far, was very much an awkward girl and nothing like her own daughter. "I hoped you could tell me more about the Nidaime candidate from your clan."

And with every word, Kazusa changed from confident to despondent. There'd been an almost innocent eagerness to her aura when she first arrived two minutes ago. Now she appeared to be holding back what wished to say.

"That's not why I came," the girl finally grumbled, scratching at the side of her head. Stray hairs went everywhere. "I remembered how you looked at the funeral. I wanted to check on you, see if you wanted to talk…"

"Oh, but I _do._ "

"Not about Hokage candidates." Kazusa's voice was firm with undertones of desperation. Day in and day out, the clan wanted to talk about Tenjin's ambitions for his son. Even Naho jumped on board for it. "You lost somebody so significant, someone you _loved_ , and–"

Mito had given so many false smiles over the past few days, saying courteous words she didn't mean because that was the nature of the political beast. She talked with people like wild Okami, enigmatic Yanagi, and even her own brother-in-law about the welfare of the village because Konoha had to come first. Who had time to properly grieve when the village was so vulnerable?

' _And to think an_ _ **Uchiha**_ _is the first to stop and ask if I'm alright? Oh, Hashirama…you'd laugh if you knew._ '

Instead of sitting across from Kazusa, Mito moved to sit beside her and scooted nearer. "You _did_ love him, right?" Kazusa inquired. "He was your husband."

Kazusa's cheek felt hot and angry underneath Mito's gentle hand as she touched the girl's face. "I see. I think I understand now." The redhead noticed every hint of worry on her guest and felt as though she comprehended it. "Is your clan pressuring you to take a husband?" The girl's silence may as well have been a yes. "Ah. Did you come here to _offer_ sympathy or to _receive_ it?"

Underneath her fingers, she felt Kazusa's mouth open, ready to speak. No words came out. Each time, the words locked in her throat because she knew she'd been caught.

"It's alright if it's both. We women are only human." And she could recall her own bewildered youth when the announcement of her betrothal to a foreigner first reached her ears. Hashirama was a total stranger and the match made only to solidify an alliance between the Senju and Uzumaki Clans.

"I've known the Uchiha Clan long enough to know they'll pressure you to choose a suitor. They'll make you feel as though you have no choice and that you must do so as soon as possible. They'll come at you with clan leadership as their main goal and give no thought to whether or not they love you," just as she doubted any of these other Nidaime candidates loved this village even _half_ as much as she did.

Like this young lady's suitors, Mito suspected her fellow candidates were in it solely for the power, the recognition, and a chance to feign superiority over others. "In the end, _you_ are the one who inherited a position of power from your father. None of them did."

"And…?"

"They want you to do this so you'll continue the line. A child is far more important than a husband is." Her two sons and her daughter continued to be the light of her world. Those children grew up knowing they were loved and respected. She raised them right and held confidence in the future of her family. "But the fact of the matter is this: until you marry, _you'll_ lead your clan. Marriage doesn't have to be the end of your reign. It all depends on who you select."

"And if I'm not fond of _any_ of them? What then?"

"Are we being honest, Kazusa- _san_? Nothing leaves this parlor?"

"Mm."

"I wasn't terribly fond of Hashirama at first."

Oh, _that_ caught the girl's attention. Kazusa gawked at her, slack-jawed and in disbelief. If anyone watched the First Hokage and his wife together in public, they outwardly appeared to be a perfect couple.

Mito accompanied him for almost every major event, backing him up at every turn. If Hashirama took ill, who was the one who delivered his decisions to the village? Who nursed him back to health? Who nurtured their children as he nurtured the village? Who listened to him late at night when he doubted himself and didn't know how to smooth things over with the more tumultuous families?

Time and again, who advised him on which gifts to give their allies both inside and outside the village? Who took it upon herself to learn the hearts and minds of the key people of Konohagakure so that Hashirama's negotiations would turn out more favorably? Who paid a _fortune_ so Mitokado Miharu could immortalize Hashirama and his will of fire?

"Wait, you–"

"I focused on being a dutiful wife and an honorable partner first. I grew to love him, but that took time. It's more than most women achieve in arranged marriages. You're fortunate in this regard. Even if your clan pushes you to choose, you still get to choose. Be wise and don't squander your choice."

Although Uchiha Kazusa lacked grace and the more delicate aspects of femininity, Mito had known for years what sort of heart this girl tried to hide from the world. Kazusa put on an outward show of toughness, but she showed tenderness to animals and children. She had a great deal of love to give and would gladly defend those in her charge, even if it killed her someday. That love could make her stronger or it could destroy her, just as it had done to so many in her clan before her.

"My advice to you is this: a lady should never surrender _all_ her power to a man. She should keep some for herself, build her strengths in secret, and hold certain things close to her heart. Never share those things. Do you want a future where you remain clan head, or do you want to surrender that title to a man?"

Kazusa contemplated these words and swallowed all the saliva in her mouth in one big gulp. "My whole life, my clan has treated me as a disappointment. They don't try to mask it; they wanted my father to give them a son. I want an opportunity to step forward and prove to them that my clan won't suffer under a woman's rule."

' _I knew I'd like you.'_ Mito remained quiet for a while, letting the girl see how genuine her smile was. For all the fake ones she'd thrown to the other leaders over the past few days, she felt sincere this one time. "In my homeland, women held most positions of power. We had fewer wars and fewer casualties. I see nothing wrong with the Uchiha Clan kneeling to a matriarch rather than a patriarch.

"Listen…if you have any say in who you'll marry, choose someone who will do for you as I did for Hashirama. Marry a voice of reason, not a master. Marry someone who will respect the fact that _you_ are the one with a leader's blood pulsing through your veins. Make him appreciate you. Make him _support_ you. You can focus on growing to love each other later. Until then, give your heart to your companions, your clan, and this village."

"Is that what _you_ did, Lady Mito?" It was by far the best advice she'd received to date. She came here to offer this woman a shoulder to cry on. It was her folly to think Mito actually needed it. "You put your heart into the village first?"

"Why else would I agree to carry the kitsune within me?" Mito opted to be the first cage for the nine-tailed fox spirit. "To advance my husband's campaign? _No._ I accepted this role in life long before I loved him. I saw this settlement and the hearts of the men and women who banded together to create it.

"Many of them belonged to clans who were sworn enemies possibly for _centuries_. On all sides, I saw the same things. Loss. Grief. Regret. Anger. Suspicion. Fear. Even _resignation,_ in some cases. It's like they knew they'd have to sign on board for this or risk being destroyed. I was married to this sad world and knew I'd probably never see my motherland again.

"Konoha became my new home, for I was as foreign as everyone else. I chose to pull it closer to my heart than anything else and vowed to do all I could to protect it, defend it, and watch it grow into a better place. Fortunately, it did. As I came to meet the other families and watched their children grow within these walls–you too. As the first Uchiha baby born here, you were _quite_ a milestone–I swore I'd treat them all as if they were _my_ family.

"My husband focused on protecting his dream and had to make several difficult decisions during his time as Hokage. He even had to kill one of the people he held most dear," perhaps even more so than herself, she bitterly mused. "I remembered birthdays and anniversaries for him. I reminded him of important events abroad and built rapports. Together, we made a great team. We stood together, proud and strong.

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid we'll talk about politics after all. I merely wish for this village to realize I can still stand strong even without Hashirama supporting me. The fact that the Uchiha and the Senju managed to get along as well as they did for your generation is because my husband earned their trust. I don't think my brother-in-law can manage that. I also don't think there's anyone in your clan who would be able to calm the Senju family's anxieties."

Very well. She supposed she'd talk about this after all, not that Kazusa much cared for the topic. "Considering Kaizen's running, I'm inclined to agree." She noted the worry on Mito's face. "What?"

"Kaizen is one of Tenjin's sons, isn't he?" As the girl nodded, the older woman groaned. "I see." She stood, offering a hand to help Kazusa up. "Whoever he is, even if he wins, _don't_ marry him if you ever want to lead. I want to see more ladies in positions of power. I'm hoping you will grow into a remarkable one, Kazusa- _san_. You have my support, for what that is worth. Can I count on yours?"

"I–" Kazusa hesitated, wondering if perhaps she'd just been duped. "…I'm gonna find out what his platform is first, just to be fair. I don't even know what you're planning to do as Hokage."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Mito smirked. "My platform involves the implementation of a clan head assembly whom I hope will advise me and provide honest opinions of how to improve this village. You would sit on it, of course, alongside people like Hyūga Amano, Nara Shikichi, Akimichi Chōmei, and Aburame Mukade. The _Will of Fire_ is open to interpretation. The shinobi clans are the coals who keep that fire burning. They have opinions. I'd hear them."

"And I _still_ plan to at least hear Kaizen out before I tell you how I'm going to side." This sounded nice, provided Mito was being honest. "But can I come back some other time? You're the strongest woman I know. On a personal level, I want to be more like you."

Mito didn't answer with words. Instead, she bowed and returned to her teapot upon the Uchiha's departure.

' _No, dear girl. You don't want to be anything like me.'_

…

It was pitch black in the middle of nowhere. Stars and a full moon offered some lighting, as did the flickering lanterns in the tiny town below. They'd scouted it for the past week, trying to hunt down the man who somehow managed to take down Senju Hashirama. Their travels took them through forests, fields, and lastly a tiny trade town on the border between the lands of Fire and Wind.

The townspeople offered sanctuary to the man who killed the Hokage and this was something he couldn't forgive. He and his partner, a branch Hyūga named Kozue, hunted this bastard down from the instant things soured on the battlefield.

Everyone else flocked to Hashirama in his final moments and brought the corpse back to Konoha. Kozue, however, proposed hunting down the killer to make things right. Kaizen, as always, chose to go wherever she went.

They found their target holed up in this pretty town, relying on the kindness and generosity of the locals to lay low. _Idiot._ He should have known better than to think a village known for two distinct and terrifying dōjutsu would turn a blind eye to this transgression.

Now he felt Kozue move toward his side. She placed her nimble fingers in his short charcoal-colored hair. His long bangs moved away from his face in waves, merely giving his ears a means to hide. "Did you sedate him?" Uchiha Kaizen murmured, taking a swig from his flask.

"Yes." Kozue leaned down so she could whisper in his ear. "Though the plan's only to keep him alive for a couple of days, right? Keep him drugged until we're close enough to guarantee his head will be fresh…" With Yamanaka Osamu in charge of Torture & Interrogation, the head was all they'd need.

Kaizen offered the flask to his partner, though she first declined. She did, however, decide to sit with him. He hardly minded. Kozue was the first friend he made outside the Uchiha Clan. Before the Hokage even put the four man cell concept together, the teenage Hyūga and Uchiha built a bond.

They were inseparable, always taking missions together whenever the chance arose. Sometimes Kozue took the lead (which she'd never have an opportunity to do in her own clan). Other times, Kaizen stepped up to take command. In the end, they knew they were equals: partners in missions and even in crime.

This village meant everything to Kaizen. Perhaps his little sister was too young to know a time before it, but _he_ did. He'd been on the cusp of adolescence when Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama shook hands and called a truce. That was old enough to remember a time where even the promise of living to see the next sunrise couldn't be guaranteed.

Konohagakure no Sato gave his father a chance to build a profitable business and make his mark on the world, even as a pariah's son. They went from starvation to significance in only three years. Tenjin made his fortune under Hashirama and the Senju Clan. It hadn't made him or his children terribly popular among the Uchiha, but had they ever been?

Without this village, he'd never know Kozue or any of the other incredible people outside his clan he'd come to love far more. He could be an individual here: a man in his father's image but with the ability to variate from that however he chose.

And tonight, he felt patriotic. Hashirama was dead and they'd caught the bastard who dared to kill him.

"We'll decapitate him two days from now," Kaizen decided as he poured more sake down his throat. It reminded him of lighter fluid and would probably be every bit as combustible. "The world needs to know that killing a Kage comes with consequences."

Kozue sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. "What do we do about the people down below? They harbored this guy."

They hadn't willingly given him up, either. He'd bribed them for their silence, promising even more money if they kept their mouths shut. Still, between the byakugan and sharingan, his sanctuary proved to be short-lived.

It wasn't as difficult as they thought it would be, either. Hashirama had dealt enough damage to his final assailant to leave him half-incapacitated. He may have had the ferocity of a wildcat at one time, but even a wildcat wasn't much threat with a broken arm and a multitude of untreated wounds.

"The Shodaime was in good favor with the Fire Daimyo. Our village was _endorsed_ by the Fire Daimyo. This town belongs to the Land of Fire. Even though our Hokage died by foreign hands, these people…" He sighed. "Do you think it's too far of a stretch to say they've committed treason?"

Kozue reached for the flask, placing her lips precisely where Kaizen's had been. "No. So, what do we do?" The Uchiha blew some smoke from his lips and wheezed out a low, bitter laugh as he stood, readying himself to set the whole place alight.

' _This is for you, Senju Hashirama_!'

Few things satisfied him more than the incandescent glow of a mass demolition. Smelling his flames mingle with the flora and fauna, watching it crackle and cause an unstoppable chain reaction…the mere _rush_ of that hot wind across his face…

The town below went up like kindling on a dry day. A fire of this intensity created an artificial daylight for his campground, defying the star-littered nighttime sky and the fat and greedy moon that tried (and failed) to be noticed. His handiwork outshone it, consuming everything in its path.

The part he loved the most was how the ghostly blue glow of his family's signature Katon techniques played off Kozue. She was lovely enough to him in regular lighting. In the pale blue hues, he found her irresistible and kissed her hungry lips. She bit him, and yet she threw her arms around him and demanded they make love.

In the past, he used to take missions like this as his father's apprentice. A man could make a good business for himself if he mastered the fine art of contract sabotage. They were arsonists, the whole lot of them. Firebugs. Torch-happy hellions who profited from making the world burn.

Occasionally, a shriek from down below caught his ears, but it didn't move him. All it did was make him try even harder to drown it out between Kozue's moans.

…

It occasionally bothered Naho that her father treated her like a pawn, but that's what children were for. At least she was the favorite pawn.

Whenever Kaizen came home, however, Naho sometimes questioned the validity of that belief. Ever since he and that Hyūga woman made it back and gave the head of the Hokage's killer to Torture & Interrogation, Kaizen was all Uchiha Tenjin wished to talk about.

For the past two days, they'd eaten nothing but Kaizen's favorite foods. Kozue came over a couple of times, as did a few of Kaizen's other friends. To somebody as perceptive as Naho, it hadn't gone unnoticed that nobody within the clan had come by to congratulate him for what he'd done.

That was fine. She had news.

" _Nii-san_ ," she rasped, not even waiting for permission to enter his room. Kaizen was at his desk, writing. "Are you working on your memoirs? Or a love note to Kozue- _san_ , perhaps?"

"Don't you have anything better to do? I'm busy. Go bother Masubi or Akihiro." He made a gesture as if to fan a bad air away from himself, not that it worked. Naho sat on his bed, legs daintily placed together. "You're being a pest."

"I came in here to tell you that Kazusa agreed to go on a date with you." She watched Kaizen's lip curl in disgust. "Come on. You could be clan head."

"I have no interest in being clan head. Saddle one of our other brothers with that and go away."

After all the coercing and coaxing she wasted on getting Kazusa to concede, it was all for nothing? She had such a hard time believing that. "Dick," she grumbled, kick-aiming one of her slippers at his head before departing. All he did was catch it and put it on the side of his desk, giving so little care for her antics that he couldn't be bothered to toss it back.

Further down the hall, Naho caught her father feeding the fish in his private koi pond. They hungrily came up to him, eating the food right out of his tight pink hand. The skin looked shiny in the moonlight.

"Hey…" Naho approached him with more care and timidity than she would her brothers, if only because she knew the nights were something Tenjin preferred to have to himself. That was his time to reflect, to reminisce, and to dream. "I'm sorry to bother you. He didn't go for it."

Tenjin didn't get up, but he gestured for Naho to come sit beside him.

"I tried," she continued. "Kazusa even said she'd give it a shot, but he won't do it. He says Akihiro, maybe, but–"

"So long as she marries one of your brothers, it doesn't matter which brother it is. I have big plans for Kaizen, but that's true for the rest of you, too. _Especially_ you."

So long as one of his sons sired an heir with Kazusa, his line would be secure in leadership. Then, should something happen to _Kazusa_ , especially by _Naho's_ hand…his daughter could come out of this with one brother leading the village, another brother leading the Uchiha Clan, and her sharingan as the most powerful among those still living within the village.

"I want what's best for my children."


	4. Prophetic Dreams

They came at him at all angles tonight. Only an hour before, the heart of the Yamanaka den was occupied by as many men and women as were eagerly willing to do what they could for the Man Who Never Slept. Osamu continued to rest upon the large pillows, sprawled out like a stranded starfish after high tide, and stared listlessly at the lanterns.

Poppies cried and their tears made his Great Endeavor that much easier to stomach. The village would weep even more than the flowers if they realized how many secrets he and his fellow mind-readers already unearthed. Smothered bastard children crawled from their graves to haunt their parents. Murdered spouses longed for retribution. Mistresses and beauties broken in back alleys threatened to tell all. Long deceased parents voiced their disappointments with enough vitriol to make some of the weaker-willed jump to their deaths from the Hokage Mountain like proverbial lemmings.

But if they had nothing to hide, they were safe. The good and the just and those who simply had enough common human decency to behave could rest well at night. The others remained oblivious that the onslaught of bad dreams came from a mental mass attack from the whole of the Yamanaka Clan in one calculated joint effort.

The carpet and the velvety fabric of the cushions seduced Osamu's titillated skin, as did the silk of his yukata. Fine blonde body hair stood up in arousal. "What do you have for me…?" he murmured, opening his mind to meld with those of his extended blood.

 ** _Shimura Zocho is a philanderer. He has enough mistresses to invite them over for tea and use two full sets. Most are young enough to be his daughters and, were they to discover each other, would kill one another on sight. It's a ventured guess._**

The fragrant smoke left his lips and nostrils as he exhaled, taking in the intoxicant at its finest. "Unless you have _names_ , none of this is news. Who are they?" None of the names were of importance. If infidelity was the only thing they could throw on that man, they had nothing. It would far from endear him with the voters, but if the rumors about the wife were true, she already knew. This would get them nowhere because the man carried no shame. "It's no matter. Move to the next one."

There he sat, large and wild-looking as he took another drag from his opium pipe. Osamu's legs were as sturdy as tree trunks: raw muscle behind gnarled and scarred skin. Few men managed to reach such stature in life. Fewer still managed to keep their "lost boy" eyes well into middle age: full of imagination and dread. Yanagi told him for years his fingernails were too long and that he needed to groom himself more regularly or risk looking like some sort of mountain hag.

What did he care? He'd never wed and he'd never sire any children. Children would grow old, grow resentful, and slit your throat in your sleep…just as he'd done to Tezuka- _oji_ before the village was founded.

Tezuka- _oji_ deserved it, though. For all the hell he put his niece and nephew through, treating them like toys until they were old enough to be dangerous, he _deserved_ what happened to him.

The Senju family was the best thing to ever happen to brother and sister both. Truthfully, he and Yanagi saw Hashirama and Tobirama as liberators. They weren't without consciences. Osamu knew this was a terrible thing they'd agreed to do, but it was a small price to pay to help the right man become Hokage.

 ** _Shimura Daichi bought a teenage girl on the black market to scrap for parts. He fantasizes about a future where internal warlords can build private armies and he has every intention of passing along this notion to his son._**

Every sigh of pleasure and disappointment were simultaneously addressed to nobody and everybody. Their minds may have merged, but Osamu alone occupied this space. They arrived at two in the morning, all with orders to give their findings by the most powerful nocturnal hour to him and him alone.

They came to him like mother birds all competing to feed a lone ravenous hatchling. His brain demanded all they could throw at it. In the right hands, the governance and surveillance of the village could solidify their permanence to the village and upgrade their status from a secondary clan to one of the great noble clans.

"Mito…"

His voice came out as a whisper: a verbal caress. The name alone brought goosebumps on his skin because in this feverish delirium, Osamu feared his voice had grown to sound every bit as coarse and lewd as his late uncle's. At least he didn't feel fingers on his shoulders moving to loosen his yukata or a pair of teeth biting the soft part of his neck. He rested alone, but he refused to sleep. Until he felt truly safe, he'd never sleep again.

"Tell me about Mito…"

 ** _We're afraid._**

"Why?" Osamu laughed, feeling an unwelcome tickle in the back of his sore throat. He could see his breath in that cold room. "She's only a woman."

 ** _You're wrong about that. Whenever we pry into her dreams, the Kyūbi waits for us. Touko and Mitsuya both went mad this week trying to read her. Please spare us and give us permission to relent on her behalf._**

"If you're scared of the mother, go after the children. She has three of them."

Osamu felt the veins on the sides of his head pound and throb as though his brain were on the verge of orgasm. That same pounding sensation turned his face flush and his breath short. He panted like a stallion as further filth from the depths of Konoha seeped into his mind.

Inuzuka Okami's son lusted after Osamu's cute little cousin. Shimura Daichi humored himself with fantasies of marrying the Shodaime's widow but had enough decency to keep such notions to himself. Sarutobi Sasuke dreamed about being Nidaime and letting his twelve-year-old son play with the hat. The Uchiha heiress might be a lesbian.

It was like forcing these people to expose their souls before him and why would he settle for a tangible arousal when he could have it all on the psychological level? _Gods!_ If he'd had this much control over his kekkei genkai and led his family even ten years sooner…the things he could have _learned_ about his fellow pioneers…

It became harder and harder to breathe as he grabbed the fabric of the pillows. More information rammed itself into his mind and he felt himself go into a tizzy. Mental paroxysm after paroxysm paired with the opiates made him feel well above human. He felt like a god–and a licentious one at that.

The whole of this world stood naked before him and he could laugh it off until the cold air played its cruel tricks again, leaving him coughing and hacking. That was until he heard the bewildered murmurs and sniffling from his sister.

Goddamn it.

"Why are you awake?" Osamu groaned, flopping over to see his sister in the corner of the room. "Couldn't sleep?" Up close, he noticed her eyes were wet. Light reflected off her tear-stained cheeks, making her face glisten. She trembled like a wet dog. "Yanagi…?"

"How can I sleep?" She may have been in her thirties by this point, but he still heard the same scared girl from his youth. When she got like this, he wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close. Their uncle was dead by their hands and long gone. No one else would ever dare harm her, considering whose sister she was.

But Yanagi's outburst put a cap on Osamu's nocturnal psychic voyeurism. With his sister out of sorts, he felt the need to drop everything and console her. However, considering how doped to the gills he was, Osamu's idea of helping involved offering to share the pipe…which Yanagi swatted out of his hand. "The hell, woman?"

"I saw something I can't un-see. You wanted dirt on the Uchiha candidate, right?"

Osamu's slate-colored eyes went wide at that. "What on earth did you _find_?"

…

Everyone around her was fatigued. Kazusa didn't understand why. She'd slept like a goddess as of late. Her nights were plagued with nightmares for weeks after her father went AWOL, but this one felt more pleasant.

It _started out_ more pleasant, anyway.

 **She and Naho waded in the lake sporting nothing but white linen. As the water soaked into the cloth, she could see Naho's nymph-like form and the rose-colored scars across her chest. Even with her high-collared top, everything may as well have been bare for the sheer visibility brought on by the water.**

 **She could bask in Naho's radiance all day, soaking it up like a flower in the sun. Although Naho wore it tightly in a bun most of the time, her hair naturally went to the end of her shoulder blades in the same serpentine coil-curls her father and two of her brothers had. This wilder side to her was Kazusa's alone to behold until marriage. She'd miss it so.**

 **"I have a secret," Naho cooed coquettishly, beckoning Kazusa to follow her further into the lake. Her dark eyes turned scarlet and that old echo of envy flickered in the back of Kazusa's mind. Naho activated her sharingan at twelve. Kazusa only just activated hers a year ago. "It involves my eyes. Kazusa, my** ** _eyes_** **. They're up** ** _here_** **."**

 **The closer she approached, the redder Naho's scarred chest became. It matched her sharingan and spread out like an anemone, producing nine scarlet tendrils. Somewhere nearby, the fragrance of chrysanthemums tickled Kazusa's senses.**

 **"Up here," Naho repeated in a softer tone, much like an echo. Aside from the scar, her flesh was creamy white and flawless. It needed more color and a pair of eager lips applied to the skin could bring out more rosiness. "Don't you want to know what I'm keeping from you?"**

 **"Yes…"**

 **"Then you'll have to catch me."**

 **With every stride Kazusa took toward Naho, Naho moved deeper into the lake until something from the aquatic netherworld reached for her legs and pulled her down. Naho outstretched her arms for Kazusa to come help her, but the nine crimson appendages from her chest scar pushed the Uchiha heiress further away.**

 **Kazusa struggled and tried to save her best friend, but felt a pair of hands pull her back. She turned to see who kept her from going after Naho: Tenjin.**

 **"Let her go," Tenjin demanded. "She isn't yours to have."**

 **"But the** ** _secret_** **–" Kazusa watched as the bottom of the lake glowed blue. The water began to boil, steam wafted up, and she realized her own body was turning scarlet from scalds. "WHY AREN'T YOU PULLING ME OUT?!"**

 **"You'll doom us all; that's why," he informed her. "You'll kill every last one of my children rather than see one lead."**

 **"NO!"**

 **"You'd sooner give the Nidaime seat to the thing in the lake. Join her, then.** ** _Stay_** **."**

 **A large incarnadine creature tore itself free from the bowels of the lake, launched itself into the sky with its nine wings, and let loose a shriek so** ** _human_** **that–**

Kazusa awoke to her own screams, finding nothing but the confines of her empty house and unoccupied bed around her. One of her four cats had been at the foot of the bed until she startled him. Now he simply stared at her with judgmental yellow eyes from the corner of the room.

She threw the covers off to check her legs for injuries. _None_. So why did her heart feel like a hummingbird's?

Kazusa staggered to her bathroom to splash her face with cold water and put on the least dirty ensemble in her laundry hamper. Everyone around her looked so exhausted these days. Surely they had bad dreams, too.

But why?

…

"Where should our rally point be for tomorrow's mission?" With their sensei preoccupied, Danzō appointed himself as de facto leader of his squad. Kagami (peacemaker that he was) chose to play along, but sometimes Torifu gave Danzō lip for it. This was why he'd try to satiate the Akimichi by leaving some of the choices up to him.

"North Gate," Torifu decided without skipping a beat. "We're delivering a head to Osamu- _dono_ tomorrow. That's the most direct route to the Yamanaka estate." And apparently, heads had rapid expiration dates once they were separated from their bodies. "We spend as little time with that man as humanly possible."

"I thought your clan was on good terms with those people." Kagami noted how tense his teammate was and wanted to express concern. Still, Danzō bit back the urge to snicker over hearing Kagami say _those people_.

"We are. That doesn't mean we like their clan head very much. Osamu's a psychopath." The others were fine, he supposed. The clan head's sister appeared gracious and courteous enough, but Osamu was unpredictable and oftentimes hostile.

But _Hiruzen's_ team wasn't picked to do this special delivery. Wait until he had an opportunity to tell his parents! "See you tomorrow, then. Here's my stop." Danzō could see his house on the outskirts of the district. His father appeared to be going through the mail.

"Do you want us to walk you in?" Kagami offered. Danzō huffed, grumbling something about how only _babies_ still did that, and deserted his teammates to catch up with his father.

He had every reason to be proud of Shimura Daichi. This great and magnificent man fought alongside the Senju brothers time and again and played a major role in the village's homeland defense. The borders were only breached _once_ during his tenure and he personally executed the squad leader.

With Hashirama gone, people were in a fit of panic and wanted to believe their next Hokage would be capable of defending the village. Daichi could. Honestly, any Shimura over the age of thirty could…but a boy could justify having a little pride in his war hero father, couldn't he?

Daichi's arms appeared to be shaking as he read over one of his messages. "I'm home," Danzō called out, but Daichi didn't seem to hear him. A bit closer and he noticed Daichi's lips were pursed. He only did that when he tried to stifle a laugh. "What is it?"

"See for yourself."

Daichi surrendered the note to his son, but Danzō saw no cause for a laugh. As soon as his brown eyes read over the words, the boy's heart skipped a beat. "This is a _death threat._ How can you–"

"I've received them quite regularly since I announced my candidacy," Daichi confessed. He threw the paper to the ground and spat on it, stomping the note into the smooth stone courtyard. "Not once has anyone signed a note. If they don't have the guts to own up to their thoughts, they're nothing to fear."

' _I wish I could agree with you, but I don't.'_ Death threats were a serious thing, especially anonymous ones. It meant they could have come from anyone, even somebody inside the clan. Didn't Daichi see that? "You really aren't worried?" Daichi let loose a low grunt of annoyance and moved past his child. ' _He truly is unafraid_.'

…but he wasn't. It became apparent that night and every night afterward.

Around three in the morning, Danzō awoke to a scream so shrill he couldn't tell if it came from his mother or father. Then came another one. Such noises were only made by the tortured and the dying, and the source resided in his house.

Without hesitating, he got out of bed, reached for the first available weapon, and stealthily moved nearer the noise. Several of the floors in the Shimura compound were nightingale floors: chirping upon contact for those who didn't know how to walk them.

' _They weren't empty words, were they?! Somebody came for my father!'_ The thought alone made Danzō's heart beat faster. Some of his friends didn't have good relationships with their families, but he at least admired his. Both his parents were good and honorable people. He had every right to respect them. And to think some coward too afraid to write his name on a piece of paper worked up the nerve to–

Another scream, this one lower than the last.

Danzō's hands quaked, causing the weapon to rattle. A shuriken flew past him, grazing his cheek. He stood in place, unable to move any further.

Shimura Daichi wasn't tall, nor was he overly bulky. He did, however, carry himself in such a way that people tended to mentally picture him as far larger. The man moved closer in trance-like motions. Ghosts moved like that. _Yokai_ moved like that. Normal people didn't. "You sent them," he muttered.

' _He's asleep_ …'

"Didn't you, Danzō?"

Daichi continued to stare at him with glazed-over eyes. "Come here," he demanded. "Let me get a good look at you." No. He had a sharp object in his hand. "Come _here_."

…by the time Daichi awoke that morning, he appeared more tired than ever before. The slightest irregular noise made him tense up and twitch. Danzō ended up as a no-show for the mission after receiving an order from Daichi to help him refortify the house. Windows were boarded shut, all doors (save one) were locked indefinitely. The house had a password.

He had no idea where his child got that nasty gash on his chin or why he refused to come when called.

…

By mid-morning, Kazusa gathered some of her comrades together to talk about the dreams. The observation post at the Hokage Mountain seemed as good a place as any to meet. She wanted an obvious rally point so no one could pull an excuse and duck out. If they found fellow fatigued, the others could come as well. The point was to talk and compare symptoms.

Kariudo staggered in like a drunkard, having to support himself on his beloved dog just to stay upright. "Did I keep you waiting long?" When Kazusa shook her head, the Inuzuka heir sighed in relief and took a seat. He felt he could conserve more energy if he sat. "Who else is coming? Tochiko, I presume?"

Ugh. Nara Tochiko: their third teammate. Neither Kazusa nor Kariudo cared much for her, but they were at least civil enough to work together. "I want to check in and see if she's okay. Is that so bad?"

"Nah. It's thoughtful." Kariudo reached for a big stick and threw it, at least giving his dog something to do. "Ha…at least one of us isn't worn out and run down."

"But don't you _always_ look that way, Kariudo?" Naho teased as she joined the party alongside Yamanaka Hanako. "Every time I see you, you look like the wild man of the woods."

"…and _smell_ like it, too," Hanako chimed in, pinching her nose. "Ever heard of a bath, Kariudo? You should try one sometime."

"Not unless you _join_ me, Yamanaka- _chan_." And this was at least enough to merit a laugh from Kazusa. She and her friends may have been exhausted, but at least they could still joke around.

Five minutes later, Tochiko joined the party along with several other Genin, Chūnin, and Tokubetsu Jōnin within eight years of their age. The whole crowd totaled at nearly four dozen at its peak.

She'd asked the others to spread the word and anyone who felt tired should come up here to talk about it. Hanako's yawn spread like contagion and several participants kept blinking slowly in an attempt to stay awake.

"We're all tired. I wanted everyone to come here to see if you're tired for the same reason I'm tired. Is it bad dreams?" They stared at each other in disbelief, wondering how on earth she could _know_ something like that. "I wish to discuss these, if only to see if it's the same dream."

Hanako shook her head. "I don't think that's such a good idea. What if the dreams are personal?"

"There was a red monster in mine with nine appendages," Kazusa confessed. "I thought it was tendrils or tentacles at first, but they turned into wings. It flew across the sky and screamed like a woman. Only louder. _Much_ louder."

"I had something similar." Tochiko stood up, swaying like a tree before a heavy wind. She steadied herself on the rail. "So did my parents."

"My dreams involved a dragon burning my clan's woods," Kariudo admitted. "It had twelve sharingan, two byakugan, smelled like gunpowder, and howled like a wolf." He kept trying to find his mother in those dreams, but he couldn't shake the dragon. By the time he finally found his mother, she'd barricaded herself at the Hyūga compound and refused to help him. "I always get burned."

"Did your dragon breathe blue flames, too?" a Hyūga boy inquired. Naho scowled.

"No. Why would it?"

"Oh, no reason."

 ** _"I have a secret_**."

It echoed in Kazusa's mind. She felt ill on top of fatigued. In the crowd, she also noticed Mito's youngest son. Whatever he'd seen in his dreams, the bags under his eyes were the darkest. "Hey…what did you see?"

The boy didn't want to talk. All he did was do his best to stifle the tears that threatened to come out of his eyes and curled closer to Shimura Danzō…who then proceeded to swat at him and tell him he was too old to cry like that.

"I saw my father's death," Danzō advertised. "I saw a future where my clan split in two and faded into obscurity. I saw _myself_ as Hokage, only to be killed by someone from your clan, _Kazusa-san_." Not that he believed any of these things would happen. "But I don't believe in prophetic dreams. Do you, Hiruzen?"

 **"You still plan on running, I hope." The woman asking him that question didn't even belong to the Sarutobi Clan. She simply owned a fabric store Sasuke's wife liked to frequent. Today, she offered an entire ream of periwinkle linen as a gift. "Please continue. The whole village loves you."**

 **People stopped Sarutobi Sasuke on the street all the time. They'd done so even when the First Hokage was still alive. Konohagakure considered him a great hero, one of their finest. When the Sarutobi Clan joined under the banner, the two initial founders both were relieved, perhaps even overjoyed, because it meant they'd gained this man as an ally. The Sarutobi family remained in good graces within these borders since day one, never causing any issue or trouble.**

 **Senju Tobirama's stern disposition and standoffish demeanor rubbed several people the wrong way, but so did most of the other candidates. Nominating Tobirama-sensei or Mito would create a hierarchy and make it harder for anyone outside the Senju line to become Hokage in the future.**

 **Then there were people like Shimura Daichi and Uchiha Kaizen with platforms so different from what the village already stood for that Konoha could suffer from whiplash under an adjustment period. Daichi would mean a martial dictatorship. Kaizen…** ** _no one_** **knew what Kaizen stood for yet. It could be anything.**

 **Hiruzen didn't know his father's politics beyond the fact he was a minimalist. Just enough government to keep things in working order would suffice. From there, let the clans do as they wish among themselves. Their differences weren't so great that they** ** _couldn't_** **band together where it counted. Stripping them of their banners could lead to civil war.**

 **Sasuke wouldn't change things as Hokage, but he was a safe choice, not to mention a beloved one. He'd do right by the village and that's what mattered most.**

 **'** ** _You say you want him to lead,'_** **Hiruzen thought,** ** _'but you don't see how he sleeps.'_** **As he thanked the store owner for the cloth, Hiruzen watched his father's response. All Sasuke did was politely bow and wish the woman a productive day.**

 **He'd spent his whole life seeing his father as a hero and somebody worthy of his admiration. As of late, all Hiruzen could see were the dark circles under Sasuke's eyes and the way he slowly blinked, doing his best to keep awake. He witnessed how the man staggered, almost like a drunk, but he hadn't touched alcohol since he became a father.**

 **It made no sense to him. Sasuke wasn't old and he normally had enough energy for the both of them. Rest was clearly the best thing for him, but Hiruzen noted something else, too. His father masked it so well, but he very clearly saw fear in those eyes.**

 **…**

 **"I've prescribed this remedy to help you through the bad dreams, husband. I urge you to ere on the side of caution with the dosage. This could kill you if you take it for too long." And didn't their son still need his father? Didn't the** ** _village_** **still need him?**

 **At this point, Sarutobi Sasuke was convinced he'd be willing to pay such a price if it meant the bad dreams stopped. In some dreams, he became Hokage. As soon as the hat was placed upon his head, a crow with milk-white eyes flew at him with the intent of pecking out his tongue. The more he ran from it, the more of its nasty little friends joined the chase.**

 **Other nights, he dreamed of his son going on a mission with his team. Koharu and Homura waved goodbye outside the Sarutobi compound, promising Tobirama-** ** _sensei_** **would take good care of everyone. A low laugh came out of the background. As Sasuke turned to find the source of the laughter, a wolf pack lunged at the team and mauled Tobirama into an unidentifiable pile of meat and gore. The other two children had enough sense to run, but Hiruzen…Hiruzen always** ** _stayed behind_** **, thinking he could save his sensei…**

 **He saw his son die at least eight times, each time more brutally than the last.**

 **"I've lived through over a dozen wars. I don't think something as harmless as a few plant leaves and roots are going to kill me."**

 **Harmless.** ** _Right._** **Hiruzen disapprovingly observed as his father ground this herbal medley up and mixed it into everything he drank. He'd asked Sasuke a few times about the toxicity of the medication. After all, his mother said the plant could turn poisonous.**

 **"I'll be alright," Sasuke assured him. "There's never a need to–what are you doing? Put that down!"**

 **This was typical for him. It wasn't the first time Sasuke lied about being fine. The only way to get the truth out of him involved trying to swallow the bitter herbs for himself. The fact Sasuke tried to stop him proved to Hiruzen his father had no intention of taking care of himself, just stopping those damned dreams.**

 **Others had come by to check on the family. Tobirama-** ** _sensei_** **asked his father to stand strong and power through this. "He knows something," Hiruzen heard his mother murmur once the man departed. Sasuke responded that she sounded overly suspicious. Tobirama was a dear friend.**

 **"Are the dreams** ** _that_** **bad?" Hiruzen finally worked up the nerve to ask. "I hear you talk in your sleep sometimes."**

 **"It's–"**

 **"No. You can't tell me it's fine again. I know it's not. It can't be fine if you're willingly swallowing poison! This is going to kill you!" Didn't Sasuke want to survive? Wasn't he a brave man? Couldn't he power through this like everything else in life?**

 **And yet all this great, strong man could do was slump over with a glazed and groggy look in his eyes.**

 **"Maybe you shouldn't be Nidaime," Hiruzen proposed. "You're in no condition." He saw it on his father's face: he planned to do this for** ** _him_** **. '** ** _No one ever asked you to.'_** **Didn't he understand that it meant more just to keep him around than to see his face carved on the mountain next to Hashirama? "Don't–"**

 **But he did. Sasuke placed his lips to the cup of tainted tea and sipped, feeling his mind go blank. As everything turned numb, as the horrible dreams both sleeping and waking dissipated like steam at a hot spring, he felt weightless.**

 **"What if the dreams mean something? What if–"**

 **"Ssssssh…son, I don't need to hear it." Just thinking about it made Sasuke double the dosage and take another sip…even though the whites of his eyes had already turned bloodshot and his lips the color of a bruise…**

 **"Just let me sleep."**

Go figure. If Danzō went someplace, Sarutobi Sasuke's son would, too. They were inseparable. Kazusa honestly suspected these two were about as close to each other as she was with Naho, not that she terribly much cared. Kagami did, though, and Kagami _loved_ to gossip when he came home from his missions.

Hiruzen stifled a yawn and apologized as soon as he saw several others do the same. "No, but apparently my father does. He's drugging himself at night to stop the dreams."

Danzō rolled his eyes and then proceeded to rub them. "We aren't living in the end of days, people. Isn't it obvious someone's playing a trick on us?"

"What's that rude little boy insinuating?" Naho whispered in Kazusa's ear.

But Kazusa carried the same suspicion in her heart. Somebody had to be playing the queen mother of dirty tricks with these bad dreams, but to what end? ' _Is someone trying to change the way we vote for our new Hokage through scare tactics?'_

Danzō wasn't apparently finished. "There's only one clan in the village that could do something this heinous. They're–"

"There's way more of you than there are of us," Hanako interjected. "There's no way. I have the bad dreams, too!"

' _You're lying, Hanako,'_ Kazusa noted. ' _You may have yawned earlier, but your face and body don't lie as well as your mouth does.'_

…

It broke Mito's heart to hear her youngest cry like this. The little boy had been a colicky baby and bawled with an impressively loud pair of lungs a few years ago. It seemed growing old enough to attend Academy hadn't quelled that. Mito had handled _many_ screaming children over the years.

Hashirama had adored his little prince. That boy bonded with him even more tightly than his older siblings had. This child was his merry mischief-maker: filching money out of Mito's purse and stealing his sister's maneki neko bank because he wanted to wave a fat wad of ryo and Land of Fire bank notes in his hand just like his father.

Mito would chase him down the hall until he exhausted himself, reaching out with chubby greedy arms until Mito conceded to hoist him up and spin him around until he squealed in glee.

 ** _It's the Uzumaki stamina_** , Hashirama used to joke with Mito. She'd retort that the little boy had a Senju personality. They'd laugh about that child every time they finished being doting parents and saw the expression of exhausted dread on their elder children's faces.

They were assholes for constantly leaving their little one in Morirama's care, Mito realized. She and Hashirama both gave their youngest all the sugar and candy he wanted, riled him up until he practically _bounced_ off the walls, and then greeted their eldest with guilty grins when it was time for them to attend a public function.

Her son reached decibels far louder than most humans could muster when he wailed. Watching him whimper and thrash around in his sleep wasn't normal.

Upstairs, she heard her youngest daughter shrieking in her sleep for her father. Her eldest swore in his sleep, too: accusing some very important men in the village of murdering Hashirama, which wasn't even remotely true. Her eldest son's teammates caught the killer. Mito saw.

Her eldest sat across from her in the parlor, eying her warily. "Something's on your mind, Morirama. Want to tell me what it is?"

"You're well-rested," Morirama observed. "The rest of the village is about to collapse from these bad dreams, but you're _fine_. Are you–"

"You know what I am capable of, dear. I am powerful and capable of great things, but tampering with people's dreams isn't something the kitsune within me can do. Perhaps the tailed beast has kept me safe _._ "

It gave her further cause to suspect human intervention. As she heard the cries of her younger children from another room, Mito winced. _"_ That Yamanaka wife of yours, on the other hand…"


	5. Breaking Point

"It's Iron Goddess oolong," Kozue informed Lord Amano's guests with more class and grace to her voice than Kaizen was used to hearing when they were alone. He understood why. If Hyūga Amano found out a lady from his clan (even a member of the branch family) loved a man outside the line, it could spell trouble, perhaps even death.

"Is that a good variant, Kozue?" Kaizen gave a smile, forcing himself to keep things painfully platonic with his teammate. Seeing Kozue serve this man made his blood boil. Perhaps Amano wasn't a madman like the Yamanaka head or a sadistic harpy like the Inuzuka head, but the Hyūga head still carried a sense of entitlement that greatly irked the younger of the two Uchiha men seated at his den.

At least his father felt comfortable, perhaps too much so. Kaizen knew what sort of background they came from and it wasn't a glamorous one. His grandmother had been a medically frail woman among the Uchiha and in a time where resources were scarce, they weren't willing to care for her. His father grew up as a beggar's son, taking whatever jobs he could to keep the sickly woman alive.

Kaizen was old enough to remember going to bed with an empty stomach, having to take turns with his brothers so at least one of them could eat a full meal that day. They'd been the lowest ranking family in the Uchiha clan when Madara shook hands with Hashirama: a nobody with five nobody sons and a beautiful (and pregnant) nobody wife.

Now his father carried himself as the most affluent Uchiha in the village. Money bought respect in most places. It certainly had among the Hyūga. Kaizen didn't much approve. He believed in merit and recognition by talent, but buying affection felt so cheap.

"It has the most caffeine out of the oolong family." And considering how exhausted the whole of the village appeared to be (save for Mito, who somehow looked refreshed and perfect every time people laid eyes on her), caffeine and other stimulants were to be greatly prized.

Amano took a sip of his tea, giving a quiet thanks to Kozue for pouring enough for the whole table to share. "I wish for my guests to be alert and with clear minds as we talk about what needs to be done to advance your campaign, Kaizen."

Inuzuka Okami lapped at the tea in her cup, murmuring something about how a good cheap black tea still carried more caffeine than _"freaking oolong_." Tenjin nudged her to hush. There was no reason to insult the Hyūga Clan, especially considering most of their campaign's financial backing came from the Hyūga and Tenjin's private account.

 _'Just as I expected: these alliances were purchased.'_ Kaizen felt even further cheapened. "You're talking about sabotage."

"The Yamanaka Clan already made their move," Tenjin proclaimed, "and quite a bold one at that. I heard Shimura Daichi's gone mad."

And that was a shame. Daichi saved his life during the war. Kaizen and his brother Akihiro both served under Daichi's command guarding the village's borders. When death came toward them with a ghostly white face, reaching with bloodied talons for the brothers, Daichi cut the monster's head clean off with one quick motion from his sword.

' _It makes no sense. He was a shining example of mental health before the Shodaime died_.' This had to be some sort of artificial orchestration. Somebody _drove_ him to madness. Kaizen caught sight of Daichi's son earlier and noticed how jumpy he was. Damn near nothing spooked that child.

"Sabotage is _low_ ," Kaizen growled.

"Sabotage put a roof over our heads and food on our table. Don't be so quick to shirk it, Kaizen."

"Shouldn't I focus more on what sort of goals and plans I have for the village?"

Okami let loose a loud howl of a laugh at that, causing Amano to grimace. "You can think more on that once you _win!_ And I'm fairly sure your father has all sorts of good ideas he'll pass along to you as a member of your council."

That's what Kaizen was afraid of. Hyūga Amano, Inuzuka Okami, and his father were his key supporters for now, but Kaizen knew damn well he'd lose that support in a heartbeat if he told them what he wanted to do.

For the most part, he believed the village model was well crafted and had the potential to continue. However, there were two major things he didn't feel comfortable discussing with these people.

If he had his way, the clans would hold no further secrets. They'd all be bound to the same laws and regulations equally in the government. Certain deplorable practices—like the Mark of the Caged Bird that marred Kozue's lovely brow—would be abolished. Couples could freely marry between clans rather than having to ask a clan head for permission to sanction the union.

If he became Nidaime, he'd marry Hyūga Kozue. He'd step out of his father's shadow and force all of Konoha to strip themselves of traditions that only further cemented their differences. Kaizen would force them to unify, even if he went down in history as the most unpopular Hokage the village ever nominated. But it would be for their own good.

The support he had in this room only came from the fact he was Tenjin's strongest and eldest son and Tenjin was too unpopular to ever think of putting his own name in the running. This, Kaizen already knew. And this was why he'd shut the hell up and listen for now.

"I think I know how we can push you forward." Amano pulled two pictures out of a folder and slid them across the table for the two Uchiha men to see. Tenjin grinned, stroking the edge of the photograph. "If this man writes in your favor, you'll have an advantage."

"Oh my. Amano, this is _brilliant_." Tenjin's eyes narrowed. "Shame I already tried it. Miharu wouldn't budge. How do you plan to convince that tough old bird to change his mind?" The Hyūga head glanced at the Inuzuka head. Both grinned.

Kaizen shook his head and quickly glanced in Kozue's direction. He really _didn't_ want to know.

…

The art commissions were complete. Out of the eight artists he'd selected to paint the memorial portrait of Hashirama to place in the central Hokage office, Mitokado Miharu had narrowed it down to two. "It's a shame, Zocho. If you _weren't_ running for office, I'd choose your portrait."

Shimura Zocho pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "I'm starting to wonder why I ever thought putting my name out there was a good idea. I already told Mito and Tobirama, but I guess they didn't pass the word along. I've withdrawn." Daichi wouldn't, though. Not in a million years.

Miharu touched the edge of the canvas with his long fingers and smirked. "It's for the best. A talented man such as yourself can leave a legacy through other means. Your art, for instance…"

Something about the way Zocho painted Hashirama's face called to mind the promise of warmer, better days. Zocho's artistic testament to the Shodaime involved painting him in his prime. In the background was a winter sunrise with the first few green leaves of spring sprouting from the trees. "You painted him in the Hokage robes."

"Let's be honest, Miharu; it's the most fashionable thing he ever wore." Not that this was saying much.

"Yes, well, when you paint him for the mural in the civic hall–"

"Oh, you're giving me that project, too? I'm flattered!"

"Hn. Please paint him in his armor. I don't care how tacky you found it. Make him look as honorable as a god."

Their First Hokage, flaws and all, was the root ball from which this great village tree would bloom. Senju Hashirama needed to be beloved and adored by the future generations with unwavering, unquestioning loyalty. This would be their canon and only the village historians would have authorization to study his dark side.

Zocho stood there with his arms folded, trying his best to hold in a laugh. "Who's paying for all the commemorations from the Propaganda Bureau, Miharu? Is it Mito?" No answer came from the director's mouth save for the flat line his lips made. "And yet you say you don't support her. I mean, _I_ do…"

"I never voiced my inclination for or against _any_ candidate," Miharu hissed as he placed his hands to his narrow hips. "I'm not making my opinions known to anyone until I know how the future's going to play out. Uzumaki Mito could be Hokage. So could Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Kaizen, your cousin Daichi, and gods only know how many others vying for the title who haven't withdrawn from the race. It's anyone's guess and I despise uncertainty.

"I'm sorry, Zocho. We'll have to cut this short and talk some other time." He'd spotted his son waiting for him in the hall. Miharu moved closer to his child, watching as he put the scroll he'd been reading back into his messenger bag. Something had the boy miffed, judging from the pout in his bottom lip. "You finished your mission early, Homura."

"No. You simply took that long talking to Zocho _-san_." Homura's arms were folded as he scowled up at his father in annoyance. "I've been out here for thirty minutes and you only _just_ noticed me?" Either he was a better ninja than his sensei said or his father was so far removed from that world that he may as well have gone on the books as a civilian. "Good grief. Even _Koharu-chan's_ more observant than you."

Miharu put an arm around the twelve-year-old's shoulders and chuckled as they made their way out of the village propaganda office. "Oh, she is? I'm sorry for making you wait. How about you and I grab a bite to eat on our way home? My treat…"

Homura contemplated what this could mean for him. "Can I invite my friends? Hiruzen's been having a tough time, with his father being so sick and all..."

It worried both him and Koharu. Hiruzen hadn't said much on the matter, but his father—who had always been such a brave, noble man—was scared to death of this most recent bout of bad dreams. Sarutobi Sasuke took whatever he could to knock himself out at night to bypass the dreams. During waking hours, he was lethargic and constantly ill. Sure, Hiruzen put on a good face like he always did, but he could only hide the hurt for so long.

"Danzō, too, for that matter."

Someone kept sending Danzō's father anonymous death threats. Shimura Daichi laughed it off and insisted that he put no stock into the threats, considering the writers were too cowardly to out themselves. The fact he screamed in his sleep, barricaded the house like a fortress, and demanded Danzō take a buddy with him everywhere he went—which annoyed Danzō to no end—seemed to prove Daichi believed the threats were genuine.

"Next you're going to tell me Kagami and Torifu are having issues, too."

"Torifu's fine. He's a little annoyed that Hiruzen's dad withdrew, but that's about it. Kagami's just dealing with the same business-per-usual melodramatic horseshit the Uchiha are always up to."

Miharu frowned. "Homura, I raised you better than to use words like that. You're supposed to be a gentleman."

"May I invite them to eat with us?" Oh, the eternal hopefulness of adolescent boys! "Or maybe just Koharu _-chan_?"

"How much money do you think I make with this job, son? _No_. Now, about Koharu _-chan_ …is there something going on with you two?" Before Homura could give Miharu an answer, the propaganda director spotted the head of the Inuzuka clan and her four younger brothers nearby. "Ah! Okami- _sama_! Greetings!"

Okami didn't appear to be in a good mood, judging from the fact she snarled at him.

' _What on earth…?'_ Miharu lowered his arm back down to his side. Already, he felt his heart beat twice as fast. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up.

"Tell your brat to go somewhere else," Okami barked. "We'd have words with you."

This woman scared the piss out of him. The Mitokado Clan signed on board long before the Inuzuka Clan had, but Miharu was certainly old enough to remember what Okami was like long before any alliances were cemented.

Inuzuka Okami could maul a man apart using nothing but her fingernails and teeth. Rumor had it her jaw was strong enough to chew through armor. She'd laid siege to towns and villages alike without ever having to use a weapon. In hand-to-hand combat, few of the village elite could surpass her and each one of her brothers matched her strength.

Before the village existed, Miharu and his wife went up against this she-devil and her brothers. By the time Okami finished with his beloved, nothing but unidentifiable red pulp and Miharu's anguished screams remained. Unadulterated canine carnage stared him down like a humanized wolf pack. It echoed of the last time, but his wife wasn't at his side.

His _son_ was.

"Homura." Miharu tried his best to keep his voice from wavering. Unlike these barbarians, he was a gentleman and a brave one at that. Even if they murdered him in this back alley, he'd die as both those things. He pulled out his wallet and emptied it, handing all the cash to his confused and frightened child. "I changed my mind. Be a good friend and treat everyone to dinner."

Homura gawked at the money. His legs trembled, begging him to flee the scene as quickly as he could, but he refused. "No!" he snapped. "Y-you can't possibly think I'll leave you here with these people! They're–"

All it took was for one of the Inuzuka men to lunge at the boy to make him run away in terror. Homura didn't look back. All he could do was pray his father would either be strong enough to defend himself against the killer kunoichi and her brothers or be smart enough to find a way to placate them.

"I raised a strong and brave boy," Okami jeered. "Your brat turned his tail and ran like a little bitch. I guess he comes by it honestly, Miharu. I mean, he's _your_ son. Isn't he Senju Tobirama's student, too?"

"What do you want, Okami?" Miharu hissed. He felt the strong arms of two Inuzuka brothers holding him in place. It was excessive force for what would be needed to keep a slender thing such as himself subdued, but the Inuzuka Clan were hardly conservative when it came to scare tactics.

Okami leaned in close enough for Miharu to see the pieces of meat still stuck between her sharp teeth when she grinned. Her breath smelled of blood, saké, and nicotine. She took off his glasses and threw them to the ground. They shattered on impact. "You know what we want."

"I honestly don't." He'd intentionally steered clear of the Inuzuka Clan as often as could without drawing attention to himself. "Are you running for Hokage or something?"

He expected her to knee him in the gut. Okami instead let her claw-like hands grab tightly enough between Miharu's legs to draw blood and tear cloth. "Uchiha Tenjin approached you earlier in the week, requesting you help his boy's campaign gain ground. You refused."

"I…ngh…did that for _everyone_. I've…" Gods. Would she ever let go? The more Miharu felt Okami's nails in him, the more difficult it became to hold in his screams. "Tenjin's nothing special and if his son needs my help to be Hokage, then–" He yowled when Okami twisted. "Why are you supporting that greedy louse, anyway? He isn't–"

"That doesn't concern pussycats like the Mitokado Clan. Don't make this more difficult than it has to be. Just write the speech."

"No."

"Write it!"

"I have my integrity. Hurt me all you want. I won't bend."

For a moment, he thought Okami would understand. Her kind never backed down, even when they were cornered on all sides. As he stared her down, refusing to relent, he noticed a brief flicker of softness in her red eyes. Her filthy hands reached for his face, cupping his jaw. Her thumbs stroked his lips. "Oh, _Miharu_ …"

The thumbs went into his mouth on both ends. "You and your big mouth…"

Her razor sharp nails poked at the hot wet flesh of his cheeks. Miharu tasted his blood from where Okami broke the skin. Her softened expression was gone. In their place were a pair of meat-red crazy eyes staring wide and hateful into his own.

The nails punctured his cheeks, seeing daylight again despite remaining in his mouth. As Miharu shrieked in agony, Okami's talons tore more tendons until thumb met bloodied thumb. Miharu's mouth transformed into a gaping maw: stretching from cheekbone to cheekbone. Blood spattered and caked into Okami's snow white hair, not that such atrocities fazed her. It could have just as easily been rain.

Unable to stand, Miharu's legs gave. He felt his consciousness fading away, wondering if he'd bleed to death in this back alley before anyone found him. The Inuzuka brothers continued to hold him, refusing to let him sit. "Hold him against the wall, boys. Give me good visuals on his right hand."

He _wrote_ with that hand.

Miharu felt sharp pin pricks between his fingers, but the more he tried to struggle, the more he felt the blood from his mangled face. Hot. Maddening. The worst pain of his _life_ …

"Do you want to keep this hand?" Okami snarled, eyes like a madwoman. "DO YOU!?" All she heard were exhausted gurgles and watched as Miharu's eyes rolled back. He'd faint soon. "We'll come back for it if we don't find written show of your support for Kaizen's campaign by the end of the week. We know your smell, pussycat; yours _and_ your little kitten's."

…

Perhaps it was bad circulation on Kozue's part, but her fingertips always felt like ice. So did her toes. When they made love in secret, Kozue tended to wear socks so as not to make her partner flinch.

"When will you go public about your plans?" she asked, giving Kaizen's hand a squeeze. "Do you even want to be Nidaime or is your father pushing you to do this for his own gain?"

"You don't understand my father. There is a reason he is the way he is."

And sons all carried a filial duty to their fathers, especially firstborn sons. This went above the Uchiha Clan, the village, and even the law. Kaizen and his siblings would be forever bound to Tenjin, just as his own future children would be bound to him if things didn't change. "He came from another time."

"Didn't we?" She always came closer to him for warmth. "Your sister Naho is the only one from your line to be born after Konoha was founded. We weren't babies then. We were barely children."

"We lived in that world long enough to understand the generation before us and why their hearts were so hardened. And yet we were young enough to build this village into something that could function."

Kaizen glanced up at the sky, noticing already that the bright lights on the Konoha streets were going to choke out the stars. If they added too many for too long, Konohagakure's formerly starry nights would be replaced with a dusk the color of mud.

Kozue had gone from holding his hand to wrapping her arms around his right arm. Her head rested against his shoulder. "There's still so much I'd change if _I_ ran," she confessed. "So many practices I'd abolish because they're so cruel."

"Why do you think I'm humoring my father by running? I don't want to run, but I feel like I need to. If I want to see any meaningful change come to Konoha, I can either put my faith in another candidate or do it myself." And Kaizen knew where most of these people stood. "I can't even trust Lord Daichi to do what's best for everyone. You heard them. He's gone mad."

Nor could he trust Tobirama or Mito to act in the best interest of his clan. The Yamanaka Clan married Mito's eldest and their head—who wasn't _that_ much older than Kozue and Kaizen—wasn't all that discrete about his fondness for Tobirama. With the bad dreams circulating around, the whole of the village suspected the Yamanakas of foul play.

"I'm going to ride the support my father gives me for as long as I can without telling them of my real plans." If they wanted to believe voting for him meant Tenjin would have a puppet to control, they were sadly mistaken. "Tonight, though…"

Kozue stood on the tips of her toes to give his cheek a kiss. It felt as gentle as a butterfly's wings. "Amano- _sama_ knows about us," she whispered. "He's just too afraid of your family to punish me for it. He likes you, but he wishes you'd stop pursuing me."

Hyūga Amano had a right to be afraid. His wealth came in large part through insurance fraud. Property he owned and invested in had a tendency to catch fire and he was paid handsomely for the claims. Were Tenjin to speak up, to publicly out him…

Helping one of Tenjin's sons buy the Hokage seat would make him conveniently forget the years of back pay Amano owed him for services rendered.

Kaizen pinned his Hyūga partner to the trunk of a large tree. Kozue stared up at him with opalescent eyes and parted her lips for another kiss. Kaizen kissed her back, claiming her all over again. "Amano- _sama_ can wish all he likes," he whispered hotly in her ear. He watched her chest move with silent laughter. "I'm not going anywhere until you ask me to leave."

Kozue's petal pink lips curled into a smirk. A low chuckle remained trapped in her throat, low enough to emulate a hum or a contented sigh. "So…never, then?"

"Absolutely never."

"Even if Daddy Dearest marries you off to…oh, say… _Kazusa_?"

Kaizen stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds, unable to bring up any words in retort. Kozue returned that gaze with equal seriousness until she couldn't help herself. The snickers came out and the couple laughed until their sides hurt.

"Don't even _joke_ about that! My vigor's gone, just thinking about that cow..."

"Aw. No back alley tryst for you tonight? Poor _Kaizen!_ " Kozue tucked a long strand of dark hair past her ear. "Whatever shall we do?" It hadn't gone unnoticed how close they were to the Sarutobi compound. Kaizen seemed to have something in mind. "Kaizen?"

' _Inside this compound is a man who withdrew his name from the running: a brave man who could have the whole of the village behind him if he wished.'_ That man rarely left his home now due to illness.

"I wish to visit someone. You can come with me if you wish to make our relationship public."

Kozue thought about it for a moment and ran her fingers across her bandaged brow. "I don't think I'm ready for that. Not yet. Go see Lord Sasuke without me. Good luck in there."

…

"It's a mixture of valerian root, catnip, chamomile, and lavender. It doesn't smell very good, but we received it as a gift from one of my son's friends. Please, help yourself."

Kaizen found it strange. On the one hand, Hyūga Amano offered him a caffeine-rich oolong. Now Sarutobi Sasuke offered him a tea to help him rest. Either way, tea had become the drink of visits for as far back as Konoha's history went. "You're a gracious man, humoring an unexpected guest at this hour."

"And you're a kind man, wanting to check in on this exhausted old fart." Sasuke sipped slowly, gesturing for Hiruzen to come sit with the adults if he wished. The boy agreed, taking a seat beside his father, but something apart from this visit weighed heavy on his mind. Sasuke couldn't possibly know what transpired in Hiruzen's teammate's house only hours ago. Hiruzen didn't know the full extent, but Homura was uncharacteristically quiet at dinner.

"Hiruzen's been taking care of me as I recover. I couldn't ask for a better son. I'm sure Lord Tenjin thinks the same of you, Kaizen- _san_."

…

 **Tenjin panted, short of breath. His brow was covered in sweat and his cheeks bled from where sharp fingernails scratched him. The official story he'd give the village the following day was that he saved his youngest son from a wild cat. The boy would confirm the story, even if his father had to put him in a genjutsu to make him believe it.**

 **His heart refused to slow back down to normal speed. Everything around him spun too fast and he couldn't even manage the stamina to stand. All he could do was sit there, gawk at the body in disbelief, and let it sink in what he'd done.**

 **Kaizen watched from the shadows as his father bit down on his fist, trying to stifle a sob. It didn't feel real yet. He hoped it wouldn't for at least a few more hours. Otherwise he couldn't bring himself to comfort Tenjin when he needed it most. This marked the second time he'd seen Tenjin this vulnerable.**

 **'** ** _He's in shock,'_** **Kaizen realized. It meant someone needed to calm him down. From the day his grandfather died, it fell on Kaizen to serve as the emotional support and close confidante the Son of a Thousand Fires required to get back on his feet again and build their private empire.**

 **Kaizen placed his hand on his father's shoulder and watched as this brave man who suffered far greater than most in their clan fell to pieces, clutching the corpse tight to his body. "…I had to do it, son."**

 **"I know…"**

 **"Help me.** ** _Please…_** **"**

…

"Perhaps he does." But perhaps he didn't. As of late, Tenjin had grown increasingly annoyed with Kaizen opening his mouth to second-guess his strategies. " ** _I made you_** ," he'd barked. " ** _And I can just as easily destroy you_**."

Tenjin valued him above all others and put his expectations out as clearly as a man possibly could, but this didn't mean he saw Kaizen as infallible. And now that Kaizen was thirty years old _,_ controlling him was nigh impossible.

"I didn't come here to talk about my father, sir. I came to check in on you and see how you're feeling." Judging from the way Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at his father, Kaizen suspected something was going on. "I know you're like the rest of us and can't sleep."

"No. I do. It comes at a great price, but I do." Sasuke smiled sheepishly and took another sip of his tea. "I think we all know who's to blame for this, but it's not like we can stop an entire clan. If bad dreams are all they do, this will stop once somebody's nominated. I simply wish to wait this nonsense out."

"If I didn't feel pressured to run for my clan's sake, sir, you would have had my vote," Kaizen confessed. "I read your proposal and I agree with most of it. I, too, want to dissolve a lot of the animosity between these old enemies. May I tell you what I hope to achieve?"

The Sarutobi man reached for his pipe, wishing to smoke as his guest spoke. "Do you mind if I do this as you talk? It calms the nerves."

…

 **It took nearly three hours before Tenjin sounded lucid again. They stayed in the woods the entire time, Kaizen stroking his father's bony back as he washed the blood off in the Nakano River. There were so many scars, so many places where Tenjin burned himself to the point of turning the flesh eternally pink and slick, that his son almost pitied him.**

 **Sometimes he did.** ** _Tonight_** **, he did, but only because everything had to focus on Tenjin right now rather than the person he murdered.**

 **It wasn't cold blood. This was a personal kill intense enough to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan in this tragically pathetic man. Kaizen already took it upon himself to wrap the body in his father's bed sheets so no one could see the victim.**

 **She'd died with her eyes wide open, bloodshot from subconjunctival hemorrhaging. His father's blood and skin was trapped under her nails, not that it would matter once they cremated her and scattered the ashes into the river.**

 **'** ** _I'm sorry_** **,' he thought. '** ** _I'm sorry he did this to you. I'm equally sorry that we can't tell the others what happened to you.'_**

 **As a family of arsonists, they always carried at least one accelerant on hand. He opened the vial, soaking the sheets with the flammable liquid, and fought back the urge to retch or scream when the sheet came undone and he saw her dead, frightened face one more time.**

…

"…no, sir. Do what you can to make yourself comfortable. It's your house, not mine." His entire life outside of the family business revolved around the pacification and comfort of others. "You condemned some of the other clan's practices quite openly before you withdrew. The Mark of the Caged Bird, for instance."

"It's slavery," Sasuke growled. The candles in his den grew dim, flickering and making it harder to see anything more than the glow from the burning tobacco in his pipe. "Amano can justify it however he wishes and call it by any other name, but that doesn't change what it is. I know I risked the Hyūga vote by voicing my disapproval, but–"

"I disapprove, too," Kaizen confessed. "I've kept silent for now because Hyūga Amano is pushing me forward as a favor to my father. Are you sure I can't convince you to run again? I would withdraw if you could dispel _this one thing_."

Sasuke laughed but shook his head. "I'm not going back into the mix. I'm out. Why does it matter so much to you? You aren't a Hyūga."

"No, but I love one and she loves me, too. Konoha was supposed to represent an opportunity for people to freely love those outside their clans. There are people in the Hyūga, Aburame, and Senju clans that I would give my life for willingly because they are the greatest comrades I've ever had. This goes beyond Uchiha, beyond Senju, beyond _all_ of us.

"I'm staying in this race because I want to create a village where we're given equal rights regardless of which clan we were born into; where even a civilian's child can join the Academy and become a shinobi if they wish; where we can freely marry whom we love without upsetting the balance.

"My hope is we'll all come together under one unified banner. The Shodaime set up the perfect groundwork for it, but he couldn't expect to finish it in his lifetime. I'm only in my thirties, Sasuke- _dono_. I theoretically could."

The glow of Sasuke's pipe was now the only light in the whole of the den, the last candle snuffed out. "You mean these words. I can hear your heart when you speak. I didn't know you were so passionate. Mito preaches love, too, but–"

"That may be, but do you want a _Hokage_ or do you want a _dynasty_? Sir, my campaign most matches yours and I can't convince you to continue." He bowed now, wishing to show the proper respect. "I need an ally in this that my father doesn't control: an ally I can actually trust. Please, tell me you will back me."

A slow sigh left Sasuke's lips as he watched Kaizen remain in the bowed position. "I was a lot like you at your age. I conceded when I should have taken action. But those were tougher times and we want a better future, don't we?"

"More than anything."

"Very well. I'll support you. I'll even advise you, if you wish to place me on your council. But Kaizen…?" The Uchiha glanced up. "Please get up. Aren't we supposed to be equals?"

…

It took forever to calm Homura down to the point where his words made sense again. It took even longer for him to stop sobbing long enough to tell his sensei exactly what happened or for Tobirama to feel calm enough to leave the boy alone for a few hours. By the time the full story left Homura's trembling lips, Tobirama was livid. Even the tips of his ears burned with rage.

He had no children of his own, so he'd spent that energy on his niece, two nephews, and students. Hiruzen was his obvious favorite, but Homura was a bright and supportive child and Koharu was clever and resourceful. Homura wasn't a leader like the other two, mostly backing up everything Koharu twisted his arm into believing, but he loved his teammates fiercely.

And apparently he trusted his sensei enough to reach out to him in a moment of crisis. Like hell was he going to make that scared boy regret it.

' _That stupid bitch_. _What the hell did Okami think she'd gain by torturing and threatening the director of propaganda?'_ Mitokado Miharu was so far removed from combat these days that Tobirama had long since ceased to see him as a shinobi.

The Inuzuka Clan had been a problematic family for Konoha from the moment they first joined. Their allegiances sat more closely to the Uchiha Clan than the Senju Clan, even though a Senju ran the village. Now their true colors came out and an innocent man who intentionally went out of his way to _not_ endorse any candidate had his mouth ripped open…all because he wouldn't endorse the Uchiha candidate.

It left Tobirama wondering if this was solidly Okami's idea or if she'd been inspired by Tenjin's toxic words. Or maybe it was the son. After all, the son was the one running for Nidaime; not the father.

As Tobirama aged, he'd come to realize he had more in common with his dead father than he wanted to admit. Senju Butsuma was harsh, uncompromising, and seldom a pleasant man to be around; but that's what the old ways required of him. Tobirama needed to be taken seriously at all costs. People _needed_ to fear him, otherwise they'd assume they could get away with ripping _his_ mouth open.

The Uchiha weren't as problematic as they'd been when Madara called the shots and chances were they'd become tolerable if the insecure child about to lead them was pushed in the right direction. Maybe Mito could tame the brat…but this _candidate_. This fucking _candidate_ …

"Hanako made a healing balm for Lord Miharu's wounds," Yanagi remarked. The Yamanaka woman had accompanied Tobirama in the evening, sharing dinner with him. She did so alone, to her pleasure. Her brother and Aburame Mukade had their own plans.

Mukade planned to pay a visit to the Hyūga compound in an attempt to intimidate Amano out of offering further campaign funds to Kaizen. After all, during his dreams, he'd outed himself to the Yamanaka Clan a thousand times over. They knew of the side women, the bastard children he'd hidden in the branch family, the countless insurance frauds, and how he followed Uchiha Tenjin's lead out of fear rather than true friendship. Amano would flip, especially before the Aburame. He had no spine.

Osamu needed to rest. Night after night of stockpiling blackmail material from every high-profile person in Konoha left him with terrible migraines. Besides, he knew Yanagi desired few things more than to have Tobirama to herself, if only for a short while. She'd earned it, considering what she unearthed about Uchiha Kaizen and his family.

That did not, however, give her the right to invade Tobirama's dreams at night. He _knew_ it was her. His dreams weren't "prophetic" monstrosities like everyone else's. They were merely parts of his past he wished to forget. In these dreams, he saw Itama's death, Hashirama standing up to Butsuma even though he knew he'd be beaten, Hashirama telling him about a secret friend…said _secret friend_ as a grown-man, demanding Hashirama kill Tobirama or himself to prove his love for him…

Lately, the dreams involved his father the first time he caught him poking around at a corpse, trying to figure out how the chakra system worked. Butsuma called him _a sick little fuck_ for wanting to study corpses, but he'd created countless new jutsu by observing other people both living and dead.

 _Sick little fuck_ indeed. His father only saw the tip of the iceberg.

Tobirama also dreamed about the first time he'd seen the Yamanaka twins…Yanagi, in particular. It was so hard to believe that the flighty, dead-eyed little girl he remembered had turned into the village's most dangerous courtesan kunoichi. She obviously liked him, wanting to get to know him better through this awkward and unwanted intimate way of hers. He pitied her for it, but at least he never had to question her loyalty.

"Do you want me to go in there with you?" Yanagi offered. Her face was flush from the plum wine they'd consumed. She'd taken in more than he did and her warm fingertips brushed up against the bristly hairs on his strong forearm. Had he been any younger, that touch would make him shiver.

"This doesn't concern you. He's not your student." Homura was his alone. Had one of these bastards gone after Koharu's family or Hiruzen's family, he'd just as easily be there for them. Homura needed to see his sensei cared about his family. This could not go unanswered.

"You want to be useful to me, Yanagi?" Of course she did. He saw the way she smiled. "Then go to Uchiha Kaizen and tell him _exactly_ what you told me. If he wants you to keep your mouth shut, he'll do as you say. Make him stop. _Tonight_."

Yanagi's lips parted, but no words came out. She thought twice about speaking, surrendered the balm in silence, bowed in respect before the Senju man, and walked away without a word.

Yes, he knew she fancied him. She didn't make it a secret. Yanagi never married, since it would cause complications in her line of work. And although she often slid her way into the bedchambers of important men, Tobirama knew her well enough to spot the difference between actual interest and a ruse. Those were all ruses. Nobody could touch her beauty unless they were a slated victim on the Hokage's orders, but she was a fool to limit her true fancies on him. Women were the oldest distraction a man could face and he didn't need that.

The lights were still on at the Mitokado home. Once Tobirama announced his presence, Homura rushed to let him in. "Are you holding up any better?" he asked the boy. No. Clearly, he wasn't. Homura's eyes were red and his cheeks puffy from all the crying he'd done this evening.

Lying on the bed with his mouth stitched back into place sat Miharu. "He can't talk to you, sensei," Homura whispered, holding his teacher's hand. "He can write, but don't make him talk. It will aggravate the stitches and make him bleed." He handed a notebook and fountain pen to Tobirama. "Please keep it short…"

"I came to check on you, Miharu. I wanted to see how you're holding up." The Mitokado man glared at him and gestured in hurt exasperation toward the sutures on his otherwise handsome face. Miharu's head flopped back down on the pillow and he rolled his eyes. "I meant aside from the _obvious_. There's no need to get an attitude with me."

Miharu reached for the note pad and jotted down the first of his notes. Tobirama heard angry huffs leave the man's nose, much like a cat that hated being picked up. **My son told you everything?**

Tobirama nodded. "Don't fault him for it. He clearly loves you." In fact, he could hear Homura in the other room trying to pull himself together. "If you aren't opposed to it, I'm willing to let the two of you stay with me for a while, at least until you can take care of yourself without any painkillers." Judging from the way Miharu's eyes darted away from him, Tobirama felt he knew what this standoffish attitude was all about. "But you won't even humor the idea, will you?"

 **I can't show any sign of favoritism. You're running for Nidaime. If I live with you, it will be misinterpreted as my endorsement of your campaign.**

"To hell with the campaign!" Tobirama growled. "I'm not offering this with any sort of ulterior motive. You can even talk _against_ me for all I care. I didn't come here as a Hokage candidate, Miharu. I came here as your friend and your son's mentor. At least let me keep Homura with me until things die down."

 **You'll keep him safe?**

"Am I a liar?" Perhaps he came across a little too strongly, considering Miharu's handsome face was sliced wide open by an old enemy. Still, Tobirama had to wonder when Miharu had become wary of even his friends. At least he conceded to let Homura stay with his sensei for a couple of weeks.

 **Until the Fire Daimyo makes the final decision and this madness comes to an end, I'll trust you.**

"But you won't endorse."

 **You said you came here as a friend. I made myself clear.**

"…very well." At least Yanagi would take this monster out tonight. Once Uchiha Kaizen withdrew, Inuzuka Okami wouldn't have a leg left to stand on. "Homura. Pack a bag and be ready to leave in ten minutes."

…

Sasuke was a good man. If he couldn't be persuaded to run again, then at least he'd endorse him and give Kaizen the chance to polish his ideas into something more palatable for the village. This was an ally his father could never purchase or extort. This man, this great and honorable man, saw merit in his ideals. Kaizen had not been solely _Tenjin's son_ in there, but a man in his own right.

Tomorrow, when he stopped by the Hyūga compound to speak in private with Kozue, he'd tell her everything. He pictured the excitement on her face and how she'd wrap her arms around him, pulling him up against her peony-scented body, and do that low hum-like laugh of hers against his chest.

 _Tomorrow_ , he could approach Lady Mito and debate with her in private. Lord Daichi, too. Finding out that Lord Sasuke now sided with him gave him momentum. If more of them put up a unified front and discovered their hopes for Konoha weren't so different, one strong candidate could step forward rather than a multitude favored only by small clusters.

He and Kozue would have that better world. Perhaps the future wouldn't be perfect, but it felt more approachable than ever before. Despite his exhaustion and the grogginess brought on by the heavy valerian concentration in the tea Sasuke offered him, Kaizen felt as though his feet barely touched the ground. He floated.

This was something he'd keep from his father. The more Tenjin believed he still controlled every facet of his life, the more bearable this would be.

…

 **The body went up in blue flames. The smell of incinerated flesh filled Kaizen's lungs and stuck to his throat. Fatty tissue clung to everything when it burned and he coughed, realizing this was part of his own mother.**

 **He coughed and hacked, glaring at his father as his mother's residue stuck to his skin as a film-like barrier between the living and dead. By this point, his initial reaction to help Tenjin get over his shock had worn off. Now all he felt was outrage, wondering how on earth this man could have done something so monstrous to his wife and the mother of his children.**

 **"I helped you hide your shame, father, but don't expect me to forgive you." He'd wash in the river again before he returned home. The smell of burnt death would mark him as damned otherwise. The Uchiha Clan recognized this scent. It couldn't be hidden.**

 **"Kaizen…" Tenjin frowned, putting his hands upon the broad shoulders of his twenty-five-year-old son. "I always trusted you above everyone else. We have no secrets."**

 **"No. We do. I thought you loved her."**

 **"I did."**

 **Kaizen swung a strong arm at his father, yelling the ugliest, nastiest curses that came to mind. "Don't** ** _lie_** **to me! I saw her neck! You squeezed the life out of her! I saw your** ** _eyes_** **, father. I** ** _know_** **!"**

 **Tenjin didn't respond right away, but he took a seat beside his firstborn. "And what good will it do the family if you tell anyone?"**

 **…**

In a back alley, Kaizen caught sight of a familiar woman: a tall and beautiful blonde built like the human equivalent of a willow tree. She placed a kiseru to her rose-tinted lips and blew wispy patterns into the air. Occasionally, Kaizen saw her turn in the direction of Lord Miharu's house, but then her silver eyes locked on him. "Good evening," she greeted him. "Awfully late, isn't it?"

"You're Lady Yanagi, the Yamanaka head's sister." The blonde smiled at him and gave a polite, elegant bow. "What are you doing back here?"

"I couldn't sleep," Yanagi responded in a low, barely audible tone. "Then again, who _can_ these days? Aren't you Uchiha Kaizen?"

"At your service." A woman needed to be careful in the after hours, he believed, especially a pretty one of such a high rank.

The blonde batted her eyes. "Are you really? At my service, I mean."

"Of course. I would like to escort you home. I'm sure your brother must be worried about you."

She moved closer with the apparent timidity of a doe. There was nothing for her to fear. They all lived under the same banner. Yamanaka, Mitokado, Sarutobi, Uchiha–what did it matter? She was a Konoha shinobi and he was another. Kaizen held out his arm for her.

"My father raised me to be courteous; especially toward ladies, Yanagi- _sama_."

Yanagi came to him gracefully, looping one arm around his as though they were a couple. Kozue did it in the exact same motion when they were alone. It struck him as odd, considering Yanagi never so much as smiled at most men. Up close, she smelled of hydrangeas.

"That's so strange," she murmured. "Considering what happened to your mother, I'd assume he raised you to kill them in secret and tell no one what you monsters do…"

…

 **He had to be joking. They were going to cover this up!?**

 **"These scratch marks came from a wild cat I fought trying to save your youngest brother. You came out here to help with the hunt. We disposed of the animal."**

 **"That's the lie you're going to feed them?" Kaizen sighed, placing his film-covered hand up to his nose. She smelled so** ** _greasy_** **. Out of morbid curiosity, he contemplated licking the residue to find out what she'd taste like, but he felt a thick frothy purge build in his throat instead. "Then what was the truth?"**

 **"Infidelity." Tenjin fanned the flames, watching as the blue tongues licked across his beloved wife's charred skin. It peeled away, showing raw muscle and tendon until snow white bones blackened in the ash.**

 **"Your mother and I belonged to two of Uchiha's poorest branches. We married out of necessity, but I genuinely grew to love her." His brow furrowed. He wiped it, feeling the slick oily touch of her ghost. "I knew she carried a fascination with other families, just as you do."**

 **He knew. Oh** ** _god_** **.** ** _He knew_** **. Kaizen's heart beat faster, too fast for him to think he could stand without falling over again. "Kozue's just a friend," he lied.**

 **"** ** _Shimura Zocho_** **certainly wasn't," Tenjin hissed. "She gave herself to that man! She spread herself** ** _wide open_** **for him…gave to him** ** _willingly_** **what was only rightfully** ** _mine_** **…"**

 **And if Tenjin couldn't have her, nobody could.**

 **"You keep it in the clan, Kaizen. Should I find out that girl is more than your friend, just keep in mind how much I loved your mother…and know that I love you** ** _less._** **"**

 **…**

"You can't lie to me, Kaizen. I've danced in your brain as you dream your rotten dreams. I know about your mother. I know about Hyūga Kozue. I know _everything_."

Yanagi gave his cheek a kiss.

"It felt so real that I know how she smelled when you torched her corpse. I even know you're the one who's been writing post cards to your younger siblings over the past five years, impersonating your mother to ward off suspicion. Shame. They know, too. It's how Naho activated her sharingan."

Panic set in. If she knew everything, then what would keep her silent? "I should kill you–"

"But you can't." Yanagi's eyes narrowed as she smiled hungrily, like a cat with a cornered mouse. "Well, you _technically_ could, but you'd suffer for it greatly. You know who I am." Her fingers twisted in the thick dark coils of his hair, grabbing until his scalp ached. "My brother leads my clan. I'm his closest kin and he loves me the most. If I come home with even a scratch, your whole family's dead."

She had to be exaggerating. "What do you want?" If there was a way to buy her off and keep her away, then–

Yanagi's hand stroked his thigh with a mastery that surprised, shocked, and terrified him. She didn't _date_. She wasn't married. Her seduction techniques were slated only for people the Hokage wanted killed in foreign lands. Around town, Yamanaka Yanagi was an unattainable treasure. Did she learn how to do this by watching dirty dreams? His fantasies of Kozue, perhaps? His _memories_ of Kozue?

The touch was identical, save for the fact Yanagi was the wrong woman. "I have every intention of singing like a bird before the Fire Daimyo," she cooed as her hand moved from Kaizen's thigh to his waistband. He felt warm, but she felt almost corpse-like. "If that's what it takes to rid you and your disgusting family of any notion you'll be Hokage, I'll shout your secrets from the rooftops."

"Don't–"

"I'll scream in this back alley and blame it all on you. I can cry on command, Kaizen."

He tried to move, even as she slid his pants down, but he couldn't shake her. "You want to kill me?" Yanagi taunted. "Go ahead. Incite a civil war. Even if you give me a pretty bruise necklace to match the one your father gave your mother, I can still talk from beyond the grave _._ "

' _Her brain…'_ As a corpse, she could sing even louder than before. He couldn't shake her. As she pushed him down to the ground and placed herself above him, he realized the most he could do was let it happen and pretend she was Kozue the entire time.

…

Yanagi clawed his face, just as his mother once scratched his father in her dying throes. She wanted him to know how deep her knowledge went. She also threatened to say he'd assaulted her rather than the other way around.

 **"Back down. It's the only thing that will buy my silence."**

She'd ridden him with the ferocity of a beast. Beneath the silk brocades, pretty painted faces, and gentle fragrances, Yamanaka Yanagi now ranked as a larger threat in Kaizen's world than her brother did. She became his greatest enemy tonight, but she'd taken from him something he could never take back.

 **"Do you think what you did is enough to taint all of Uchiha's reputation?"**

He'd begged Yanagi to keep quiet, knowing this offense was so severe that even his clan would destroy him for it. They'd destroy his entire family. Perhaps he deserved it for helping Tenjin. Maybe even Tenjin deserved it, but his brothers and Naho were innocent in all this.

As he staggered back to his father's estate, Kaizen saw very few people still awake. Most of the lights were out in the houses. Perhaps it was for the best. Right now, he didn't want anyone to get close to him or even realize he'd come home.

On his skin, he still smelled Yanagi's perfume. Even if he scrubbed himself raw, this wouldn't go away…

Neither would her nagging voice in the back of his head, telling him precisely what he needed to do.

…

The koi hungrily gobbled whatever he placed before them. They'd even eaten ashes before. In the back, he noticed one of the prettier ones (a pure white fish save for its ruby red head) had died. Tenjin reached for the net so he could pull it out before the other fish consumed it. Fish were vicious things, far more than people realized. They even ate their own children.

They were his precious pets, though, and even losing one left a glimmer of sadness on his heart. He dug a shallow hole in his garden for the dead animal so it could help the flowers grow. Even dead things had to serve a purpose.

He'd spent a chaotic evening at the Hyūga compound, yelling at Amano until his face turned scarlet. After all that talk of loyalty toward the cause, he backed out of a very crucial part of their bargain. That clan would have to pay for this.

In the morning, he'd tell Kaizen precisely what this arrogant ass thought he could pull on their family. They'd set a fire on the outskirts, by the branch family chambers, and see how long it would take before their idiot main family head noticed. And Kaizen would do it. He owed Tenjin _everything_ , so–

Something made a loud thump inside the estate, quick and abrupt. Tenjin clutched the trowel in his hand, just in case the source was an intruder, and quietly slinked back indoors. In an estate as large as his own, this unwanted guest could be anywhere…provided that's what caused the sound.

For all he knew, Naho could be sneaking in after spending the evening at Kazusa's home. That or Muraki wandered off to the shrine again to talk to his mother's ghost. Worst case scenario, Akihiro and his wife were trying to make him a grandchild. They got loud.

"Boys?" he whispered, still trying to pinpoint what he'd heard. Muraki, Masubi, Akihiro, Mitsuichi, Kaizen: any _one_ of them? " _Naho_?" Nothing. _Strange_ , he could have sworn he heard–

Next came a creaking noise, like a loose board on the stairs.

It was dark down there and even using his sharingan wouldn't make it easier to see. Killing his wife had given him a stronger dōjutsu, but the mangekyo sharingan had taxed his eyesight. Almost everything was a blur in the dark. Tenjin couldn't even tell if he'd passed by eight rooms or twelve.

Finally, the sound of a broken beam and the collapse of a part of the roof broke the silence. Tenjin saw the debris, courtesy of the moonlight pouring through the brand new hole in his ceiling. Had it remained intact, that part of the house was too dark to see. No more.

He didn't understand. The best architect in the village built this house for him. This estate was a gift from the Senju Clan for all his hard work and effort in assisting in the village's expansion efforts. This house was built to last.

Gingerly, Tenjin stepped closer, half afraid of what he'd find. Just as other doors of rooms he'd passed earlier opened and the voices of his daughter and sons caught his ears, he realized there was a figure trapped beneath the debris: a familiar figure with a rope around his bruised, broken neck.


	6. Two Funerals

The official cause of Sarutobi Sasuke's death was poisoning, though this hadn't been unintentional or even a shock. His family warned him of the damage the medicine would inflict on him should he take too much for too long, but he persisted anyway.

Two mornings ago, Hiruzen saw his father resting peacefully in bed and sighed in relief. When he reached to stir the man, Sasuke's bare shoulder was cold to the touch. He was stiff, the early signs of _rigor mortis_ coming into effect. The family took a moment to grieve in private before announcing the death of another great hero to the village. Now everyone knew.

It rained that day, with cold fat droplets plummeting to the ground and soaking those who came to mourn the Sarutobi Clan's loss. The whole of the village recognized the significance of Sasuke's parting. There were many times where he smoothed over relations with smaller clans because Hashirama didn't trust his wife or brother to do it. Sasuke carried those bonds. Wherever the Sarutobi Clan placed its loyalties, the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka Clans were sure to follow.

Hiruzen knew that without his father offering to mediate, those clans would have left and probably killed several people in the process. Sasuke arranged for things to work in a way that benefited everyone. Even the last visitor to call on their family before he died, Uchiha Kaizen, recognized it: Sasuke deserved to be Hokage and was owed the respect of everyone within Konoha's walls.

All parties wore the traditional white, though many came with umbrellas. The gates to the Sarutobi estate were open with the clan extending a welcome to everyone wishing to pay their respects. Beyond their own blood, most of the grieving parties hailed from their three oldest allies. Osamu stood close to Nara Shikichi and whispered with him. "How long until Chōmei and her husband make their appearances?"

"What are you talking about?" Shikichi grumbled. "She paid her respects before you showed up. Chōmei's already at the other funeral."

"Ah…right…" Not that this caught him by surprise. Chōmei's eldest daughter was another long-time friend of the second deceased, this time at Tenjin's estate. "I suppose she needs to make an appearance at both, just to look civil. And speaking of _looking civil_ …" He nudged the Nara head to pay attention to who among them came to offer condolences. "Must Lady Mito appear at _every_ funeral?"

Hiruzen heard Osamu's comments and it made his heart sink. Was this perhaps how Mito felt when the Shodaime died? He wished to mourn and openly grieve, lamenting the fact his father wasn't able to will his way past the bad dreams. People did this at Hashirama's funeral, too: talking business as if they were only here for the sake of face.

And considering how insincere Osamu sounded, despite being one of his father's closest allies, Hiruzen swore he'd never take a Yamanaka as a student. It was expected for a high-ranking Sarutobi to teach a child from each of the three allied clans. That tradition went back for generations and served as a sign of continued fraternity among the four families, but now he refused. The Akimichi and Nara did nothing wrong. They stayed out of this madness, but the Yamanaka…it would take at least half of forever before he forgave them for this slight.

Did Mito carry such thoughts about any of them?

People shook hands and talked about who should be Second Hokage before the First was even put to rest. They stabbed each other in the back, incited panic, and left everybody wary and suspicious of one another rather than pulling together.

Sasuke understood that and was loved by the overwhelming majority within the village, but none loved him anywhere near as much as Hiruzen did. Mito's youngest son was around his age. As of late, Hiruzen did what he could to console the boy and told him to be strong.

Now he felt like a hypocrite. With Sasuke dead, too, Hiruzen finally understood what this sort of loss felt like: an unbearable hole in his chest that only consumed him further the more he realized everything ended here. No more memories could be made with his father unless he believed Yamanaka Hanako's claim that her family could channel the dead and give him another chance to talk to Sasuke.

He assumed Hanako said this in an attempt to make him feel better, but it only left him feeling worse than before because he didn't believe her.

They couldn't walk together in the evenings, play go, or share a pot of tea until they dared each other to drink the dregs. He couldn't sneak another toke from his father's pipe–rather, he could, but Sasuke wouldn't be there to take it away and tell him how bad it was for his health.

Most of all, he'd miss training together. Even with his busy schedule, Sasuke always found time for him. If anyone else in his life loved him even half as much as Sasuke had, Hiruzen would count himself as truly blessed.

' _You never should have run,'_ he thought, wiping his face. ' _Did you realize how much we still needed you?'_

Sasuke was laid out in a white kimono, made to look as though he were simply resting. He fooled Hiruzen earlier. Now he felt he'd never mistake death for sleep again. His mother continued to bow and talk with others, thanking them for coming to pay their respects. They couldn't give him a sendoff to rival Senju Hashirama, but this funeral served as the last possible chance for everyone to express their love.

Hiruzen didn't feel much like talking with the adults. Only Uchiha Kaizen stopped by to check on his father before it was too late, not that he'd show up at this funeral. He died, too. Everyone else merely proclaimed their love for Sasuke long after the fact.

Mitokado Miharu bowed, wearing that same cold and forced neutral face he always wore, just like a mask. Out of his friends, Hiruzen always felt Homura had the handsomest father, but somebody tortured Miharu recently. The scars left him resembling a badly repaired broken vase. The only indicator Hiruzen had for Miharu's true feelings were in the man's tired eyes: wet and shiny from a thin film of tears.

As the propaganda director approached, Hiruzen's mother embraced the man, sobbing into his shoulder. He half expected Miharu to push her off and tell her to hold it together, but he permitted her to hug him, putting up no resistance.

"I loved him _so much_ ," she sobbed. "What am I supposed to do without him? How am I going to raise my son without…oh _gods_. _Please_. Miharu, you _have_ to write a legend for him. Make him immortal. Make sure nobody _forgets_ he–"

Hiruzen tensed up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, there was Danzō. "Don't sneak up on me like that," Hiruzen murmured, his voice shaky. "I don't know how much more of this I can bear."

Perhaps he needed it, feeling a pair of arms pull him in strongly for comfort and condolence. Danzō didn't say anything, nor did he have to. Hiruzen closed his eyes, bit down on his lower lip to keep it from trembling, and embraced his friend back. Maybe Danzō saw him as weak for behaving in such a way, but he had the decency to keep such comments to himself.

"Sorry…I know shinobi aren't supposed to cry, but–" But maybe his friend wouldn't give him flak for it this time. No son should ever have to witness the death of his father.

…

…and no father should ever have to witness the death of his son.

Deep down, he knew that marking Kaizen's funeral for the same date as Sarutobi Sasuke's was a means of asking for trouble, but he wanted to see just how many people showed up.

Even from his clan's district, he could see mourners for Sasuke. The lights were on in the Sarutobi district. Here among the Uchiha, it was business per usual save for Tenjin's estate.

Only within the walls of his home did it even register to the clan that one of their own had died. Fewer Uchiha than Tenjin hoped supported the campaign, though he supposed most of this was a slight against him. Very few had any issue with Kaizen.

It wasn't _his_ fault he'd been born as Tenjin's son.

…

 **"You shouldn't get attached until he's old enough to walk and talk."**

 **"Says a man who hasn't been able to walk in twenty years." Tenjin smirked, knowing he could always joke like this with his father. Now a third generation lived in their shoddily put together shack. The mouth count was now four: his sickly father, his tired wife, himself, and now Kaizen.**

 **Everyone, his father included, warned him not to get attached this early. Babies died all the time, especially in the poorer homes. Considering they were perhaps the lowest ranking family in the clan, the chances of his firstborn surviving infancy were next to nil.**

 **But how could he** ** _not_** **become attached? From the first moment he saw that child, he knew Kaizen could be something greater than himself. If he could keep this frail old man alive, then he could keep this little boy alive long enough for him to grow into a strong, promising shinobi.**

 **"It's going to be different for you," he whispered as he felt a tiny hand wrap around his index finger. "I'll make sure of it."**

…

No expense was spared. He'd scorched the earth for profit and hoarded the finances for his family alone, never sharing with the clan. Why should he when they forced him to give up what he loved most? _Ubasute_ was practiced in times of famine and that order destroyed whatever loyalty Tenjin still carried in his heart.

He came to Konohagakure disillusioned, bitter, and determined more than anything to make his fortune. It didn't matter what he had to do to make himself wealthy, so long as it worked.

Tenjin seized every opportunity to expand, raze, and intimidate with as much ferocity as he could, even at the risk of further alienating himself within the Uchiha Clan. By the end of the first year, he had more Senju contacts than he did Uchiha. The clan didn't forget it, either, nor did they forgive.

Everything he did was meant to pave the way for a bright and glorious future for his progeny. With enough resources and wealth stockpiled for his family, no one could justify ordering him to abandon his blood in the woods again. His children wouldn't starve or suffer as he did…but Kaizen had. Since he'd been born first, Kaizen understood more clearly than the others.

And that was part of why Tenjin thought he had the greatest chance of winning the hearts of the village. Kaizen _loved_ this place and most of the people within its borders. He didn't see Konohagakure as a mere means to an end, but rather as a place that could grow from the ideas and shared desires of those who lived there.

…

 **"Why are they carving the Hokage's face into the mountain? Won't that give away our location?"**

 **Tenjin laughed, knowing just how much money the village spent in regard to this project. They should have bought more land, considering the Aburame Clan wanted to join the village. "It's one of Miharu-** ** _dono's_** **harebrained ideas, probably. Gods and legends and all that nonsense."**

 **The teenager huffed a puff of air through his nose. "Who did they vote for, anyway?" Word would come out shortly on who their Shodaime Hokage was. "Madara-** ** _sama_** **?"**

 **"Gods. I hope not." That seemed to confuse his child more than anything else. "It's not about clans, Kaizen. It's about picking the most capable person."**

…

And he'd done that, hadn't he? Didn't he groom his well-intending son into the perfect successor? So why didn't people flock to this funeral to offer condolences the way they did for Sasuke's family?

Among the attendees, Tenjin noted Hyūga Amano's presence. Up close, it became obvious to him the Hyūga head wore makeup to hide the split lip and black eye Tenjin gave him two days ago during their financial spat. Amano paid for most of the flowers as an apology. Kaizen rested in a sea of sky blue bellflowers.

Blue had always been his favorite color. It reminded him of the first time he took his son along with him on a contract arson mission. Kaizen produced his first blue Katon at that time, creating tongues across his arm like foxfire.

All his children could make blue flames now. It's what separated them as his. This jutsu was one he refused to share beyond the confines of his own line, but Kaizen was a true master.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" It was the first thing he'd said to his daughter since Kaizen hung himself. "They were a gift from the Hyūga Clan."

He took it as an apology on Amano's front. They had their differences, but at least he came to the funeral. By his side was that branch girl Kaizen always fancied. Tenjin pretended not to notice, but Kozue was impossible to ignore now.

Naho wiped her face, smearing her own makeup as she did so. "And now you know what he really thinks of us," she murmured. "Father, do you know what bellflowers mean?"

No, but he had a feeling she'd tell him anyway. If his daughter, who was oftentimes his peaceful little princess, was this riled up, then he dreaded to hear what came out of her mouth next. ' _What insult have you thrown at me, Amano?'_

"Lord Amano views my brother as a disappointment." She squeezed her father's hand, wincing as she felt the heat. Eventually, Naho let go because his hand was too hot.

Tenjin felt it in his blood and in his lungs. The greatest accelerant of all was rage itself. If Amano still had the balls to passive-aggressively insult his dead son, Tenjin could at least do something to make things right for Kaizen's memory. "Amano." The Hyūga head glanced up. "Let's talk."

But Amano knew damn well by looks alone this wouldn't be the sort of talk he liked. This would rather resemble the last time they spoke, where Tenjin beat him until he nearly passed out. "…yes?"

Tenjin's hand rested on Amano's shoulder with the heat of a burning coal. "I see the girl came with you." Kozue. Kaizen's teammate and old friend. Right now, she stood before the body and kissed his son's hand, trying her best to hold in her tears. "He loved her. Should anything _happen_ to her…"

The least he could do was offer to protect that girl from her own clan, for his son's sake.

…

 **"It's another son." His wife smiled up at him with pride in her eyes. "You named Kaizen. May I–"**

 **"Do you even have to ask?" Tenjin could barely contain his glee at holding another healthy baby boy in his arms. "Yes…name him." But he couldn't shake what his father told him before, not to get attached until they knew for sure the child would survive.**

 **"I was thinking** ** _Akihiro_** **, like your father."**

 **His heart fluttered and it was all he could do to hold in what he felt. He'd never loved his wife more than he did at that moment, because she knew how much that name meant to him.**

 **At his side, tugging on the edge of his yukata, Kaizen stared up at his father with big dark eyes. "Yes?" The little boy held out his arms expectantly, wanting to be picked up, too. "Sorry, son. You don't have me all to yourself anymore."**

…

But he did. What did it matter? One son? _Five_ sons? All his hopes and dreams were put across Kaizen's strong and sturdy back because Tenjin knew he could trust his eldest the most. They were so much alike, he believed.

He was incorrect, but that misconception led him to love Kaizen the most. Parents weren't supposed to have favorites, but he did. Even in the instances where Kaizen disappointed him, such as fancying a woman outside of the clan…

 **"It's not about clans, Kaizen. It's about picking the most capable person."**

If Hyūga Kozue was the most capable, then so be it.

"We can afford to sacrifice her to keep your son company, should you wish for that," Amano offered. "It's common in my clan. We–"

"Tenjin _-dono_?" The Uchiha man turned around to notice that, at long last, a high-ranking person from outside his inner circle had come to pay respects. The Yamanaka head's sister arrived with a full bouquet of buttercups. "These are specifically for you."

Naho's mouth opened to say something to her former sensei, but the Yamanaka woman was now in her way. Something about her left the girl uneasy. " _Ne_ …Naho- _chan_ …" Yanagi smiled at her, barely parting her lips. "Hanako is here. Why don't you two catch up?"

Yanagi always carried herself with such grace, such elegance. Tenjin had wanted his daughter to emulate Yanagi in so many ways. Their village held many kunoichi but few true ladies. He held the flowers close to him, taking in the warm yellow hue.

"I didn't expect your clan to send anyone more than Hanako to grieve here," Tenjin confessed, no longer wishing to be anywhere near Amano. "As you can see, not even our young head could be bothered to attend." And for that, he wouldn't forgive her. "I'm guessing Osamu couldn't come?"

' _That's_ _ **Lord**_ _Osamu to you. Don't presume to sound like you're so familiar with him,_ ' Yanagi thought, fighting the urge to correct this arrogant man into using the appropriate honorific. She instead placed her hand to Tenjin's shoulder, feeling the heat. "Please, do not be angry. As the head of my clan, he is obligated to pay his condolences first and foremost to the fallen head of the Sarutobi Clan. I came instead. That apparently isn't enough?"

He couldn't read her. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't.

"We never know why people choose to end their lives. I'm just as shocked as you. He seemed fine the last time I saw him." Yanagi turned toward the body, moving closer with precise, meaningful steps. "Would you _like_ to know? I could tell you his final thoughts, if–"

"If you finish that sentence, Yanagi…" He wasn't in the mood for this. Not in the slightest. Whatever his son thought in his final moments was awful enough for him to take his own life. Why would he want to know something like that? "…there's room on that pyre for two."

…

The center didn't hold. Now everything would come apart. In all directions, the village would crumble to little more than ash and dust. The Uchiha didn't need to do anything. Konohagakure would do it to itself.

' _If only you stayed long enough to watch this unfurl. You saw it coming, didn't you?'_ Setsuna glanced up at the night sky, watching the same constellations he observed long before a village sat here. ' _You_ _ **knew.**_ _You tried to warn us._ '

And their clan hadn't listened. They were war-weary and tired then, simply eager to put the chaos behind them and build something new. Families like Kagami's and Sarani's gave this village no trouble. If anything, they had endeared themselves and done well, despite their heartaches. Sarani lost his little brother, Kagami his older sister.

But they no longer lost loved ones to enemy clans anywhere near as frequently as they once did. Externally, things looked fine, but Setsuna knew better than to judge at face value.

On the inside, he remembered how nervous the Daimyo had been when he saw the list of how many clans agreed to live in this settlement. There were hesitations about him agreeing to this concept in the first place, fearing it would turn into a hornet's nest and the clans would destroy each other from the inside out.

' _But isn't that already happening_?' The bad dreams were only the start. The Sarutobi family mourned the loss of a great man today. Setsuna lost a comrade.

Kaizen wasn't a close friend, but Setsuna didn't bear him any ill will. He meant well, which was more than Setsuna could say for the rest of Tenjin's family. Just before the suicide, he'd seen Kaizen stagger back to his home with scratch marks all over his face, fumbling about as if in pain.

Somebody must have threatened him. With a father with as big a reputation for overstepping his bounds as the Son of a Thousand Fires, Kaizen was doomed from the start.

…

 **"Just wait for it. He'll try to tie his line into the main line someday. One of those little bastards will try to marry my child. They'll be the vines that choke the tree."**

 **Setsuna couldn't believe his ears. "You never gave Tenjin any thought before."**

 **"He was never a** ** _threat_** **before." Even now, Setsuna felt his old friend and former mentor was being too generous by calling Tenjin a threat. "He's the new Uchiha for the new world. Give it time and this village will breed far more men like him: men who would sell their own families if it meant getting ahead of everyone else."**

 **"…but is that really such a new concept?" In the distance, Setsuna caught sight of their young heir apparent tottering on her fat legs toward Tenjin's only girl. Kazusa held out some flowers, but all Naho did in response was give one of Kazusa's pigtails a yank. Kazusa squalled and proceeded to pelt her little friend with her tiny fists as the other girl cackled.**

 **"Setsuna…" When had he ever sounded so tired and weary? That strong hand rested upon the broadest part of his back. "I've always admired your optimism, but you're still so young. The longer I stay, the more I realize this isn't going to work. It's all going to fall apart."**

…

He'd forever lament the fact that he didn't pack his things and leave when he had the chance. Instead, he chose to stay here in the naïve and foolish belief that things would get better. With Sasuke and Kaizen both dead, it meant the next Hokage would be related to the First by either blood or marriage. No one else stood a chance anymore.

Mito or Tobirama; he honestly had no idea which one would be the greater insult and threat to the Uchiha.

And _Kazusa_ , their brand new clan head, stupidly chose to openly endorse Hashirama's wife. This clan would go into the hands of a Senju sympathizer and it would take a man with enough strength (both physical and moral) to knock her back into place. If nobody stepped forward to control that girl, she'd lead to their ruin.

"…if only you could _come back_ …" Kaizen's pyre was lit, glowing from Tenjin's courtyard. If there were any merciful gods out there, the whole place would catch alight and take that entire family down with it. "…if you were still _alive_ , I'd follow you to the ends of the earth."

He'd tell him how truly sorry he was for being too much of a coward to stand by his side, for permitting this to carry on as long as he did…for letting so many comrades die and turn their back on the old ways…and for permitting the village to tame their future leader.

Kazusa approached, walking from the direction of the Sarutobi compound. Her unruly and messy black braid swayed as she walked, much like the tail of an angered cat. ' _You went to_ _ **that**_ _funeral instead? I see…_ ' It was all he could do to hide his disappointment. The girl flopped into the grass not terribly far from him.

"Kazusa."

"Setsuna." So she saw him after all. "Did you pay your respects to Kaizen?"

"No." She rolled over to look at him in disbelief. "If my clan head can't be bothered to make an appearance, then why should I?" Setsuna's eyes were straight on the girl. She needed to know the consequences for her behavior.

He let this go on long enough out of pity for her, but she wasn't to be pitied anymore. Nobody would band alongside her when it actually counted if everyone continued to see her as a lost little girl with no one there to guide her.

"I planned on going after the funeral. Tenjin _-oji_ and his family are–"

"Your every action is going to be scrutinized and misinterpreted at every turn. I told you that before. You lead by example. Don't do something? Don't expect others to do it, either."

Perhaps he was a bit too harsh with her. She was only seventeen, but he'd killed over fifty men by that age, including Senju Toka's father. Just because Kazusa was born and raised within this village and never saw the world predating it, it didn't mean the Uchiha Clan deserved to be ruled by a domesticated leader. They followed lions in the past. They wouldn't extend that courtesy to a house cat.

Kazusa didn't get up. Much to Setsuna's surprise, she didn't _cry_ , either. **_Throw whatever you like at me. I don't care._** That's what her body language told him. **_You aren't saying anything new._**

"You seem to be full of advice today," the Uchiha heiress growled. In the distance, the pyre turned blue, just like the "disappointing" flowers cloaked around Kaizen's broken body. "What are you going to do, then?"

"How well did you know Kaizen? Not as well as Naho, I presume." Of course. Kaizen was Setsuna's contemporary and Naho was Kazusa's. He knew the eldest best and she knew the youngest. "I knew him well enough to know he wasn't a coward. He wouldn't hang himself."

"And… _what_ , exactly, do you think happened if that's not how it went?" Kazusa scooted closer, continuing to eye him suspiciously. "Surely you don't think Tenjin- _oji_ killed him because they disagreed on–"

"It's common knowledge by now that Tenjin murdered his _wife_ , so…" Setsuna shrugged. "It isn't out of the realm of possibility. I'm just saying something's wrong about all this. It doesn't make sense. I may not have cared for Kaizen, but he was still one of us. I think we need to find out the truth."

"We? Not you?"

"I'm giving you a chance, Kazusa. Show that you care about us. Show that you have it in you to lead, otherwise I'm always going to be that one dog constantly snapping at your heels."

' _And if another Senju takes command, I'll bite and encourage others to do the same.'_

…

Tonight, she invited some of the highest ranking people in the village to have dinner with her. The only one she wished to talk with was Miharu, since he had a direct line of contact with the Fire Daimyo and wrote him quite regularly, but he only agreed to come if she invited the remaining candidates.

She hadn't spoken much with Tobirama since Hashirama's funeral. The man was cold and unwelcoming, just as Hashirama once described their father. It bothered her. The Uzumaki Clan never treated those who married into their line with such animosity and suspicion. He'd shake hands and say polite words in public, but he clearly didn't believe a woman's place was in diplomacy.

It must have been a cultural thing, but that didn't mean she much cared for being treated in such a way. She'd embraced Tobirama as her own brother and it got her nowhere. Surely they wanted the same thing. "We lost two great visionaries in one week. The whole of the village should mourn such a loss. To Sasuke and Kaizen," she proposed, raising her glass. "May their dreams and ambitions carry over to the next world with better success."

Tobirama murmured both names and drank, waiting for Shimura Daichi to follow suit. Daichi simply drank the saké and muttered something under his breath. "I'm sorry. Nobody caught that, Daichi."

"Their dreams and ambitions?" the Shimura man sighed, holding out his cup for a refill. Tobirama poured him another. " _Please._ You're giving Kaizen too much credit. None of us knew what he stood for."

"He stood for Tenjin," Miharu responded, barely moving his lips. He couldn't smile, frown, laugh, shout, or scream without ripping the sutures open again, but at least he could speak softly. "Now that he's dead, I suppose there's no harm in telling the both of you what Tobirama already knows."

He touched the stitches, grimacing as he felt the throbbing of his aching face. "These wounds were inflicted by Inuzuka Okami. She ripped my mouth open when I refused to endorse Kaizen. She and Hyūga Amano both supported him." It made sense. Tenjin made both those clan heads exceedingly wealthy through the expansion campaigns.

Mito moved closer, placing her hand on Miharu's arm. The Mitokado man moved it away, but Tobirama felt he saw enough to know that Mito wanted to put it on his lap. They were close, even if it was pent up and hidden beneath layers upon layers of decorum. At least one of them wanted it…and wanted it badly. Miharu could hide it under his jackets and cloaks all he wished, but men were obvious in attraction.

"Amano's supporting me now," Daichi announced, though he sounded wary of the man's sincerity. "But Okami…who does _she_ support now? Tobirama, I presume? Or maybe you, Mito? All I know is she's still giving me trouble." That and he carried bad dreams about mad dogs and muzzled wolves.

"Like I'd ever side with the she-wolf." The Inuzuka were practically feral. "They have strong ties with my family's oldest enemy. She'd sooner die than support a Senju. You don't have to worry, Miharu. My cousin plans to dispose of that crazy bitch."

"She should be investigated and sentenced accordingly. All these knife-in-the-dark tactics, I just…" Mito shook her head. "When does it end?"

"Don't tell me you have a faint heart over this."

"She's a _clan head,"_ not to mention the only female one in the whole of the village, save for the new Uchiha head. _"_ This _eye for an eye mentality_ , just because Miharu was attacked…" But the men weren't listening. All three of them simply stared at her, daring her to finish.

' _It's down to only the three of us,_ ' Mito realized. ' _If I can convince Daichi to side with me, then it may be enough to take Tobirama out.'_ She suspected the Yamanakas were with Tobirama, despite Yanagi telling her otherwise. Yanagi was a dear friend, but she saw how she watched him. She knew they shared some sort of history, something she'd never been privy to but _Hashirama_ knew about…

The Uchiha heiress endorsed her but clearly didn't have the support of her own clan. It did her heart well to know she had the girl's approval, but that meant nothing unless the entire Uchiha Clan sided with her. They wouldn't. The most she could get out of this was ensuring Kazusa grew up to be a strong and honorable leader.

"We didn't come here for that, did we?" Mito frowned, glancing down at her untouched sake cup. Drinking had always been more of her husband's thing. "We came to talk about the Fire Daimyo. Miharu tells me he set a date."

Miharu sipped slowly, only to quickly put the cup down when the saké burned his wounds and made them bleed. Deciding he'd spoken enough, he reached for his notepad and scribbled down his answer.

 **We have two more weeks. Then he's here to choose.**

"Only two weeks, eh?" Daichi let loose a long sigh of relief. "Thank the gods. There _is_ an end in sight." Perhaps the death threats would come to an end, as would the bad dreams.

After Sasuke's funeral, Danzō volunteered to stay at the Sarutobi district to help Hiruzen's family out for a while. Hiruzen saw it as Danzō being a good friend, but Daichi knew the truth. His son was terrified of him and never had been before. This was his clever little way of hiding from his father without anyone thinking him to be a coward.

"Are you going to endorse somebody in this room, Miharu?" Tobirama couldn't help but ask the question.

 _'…you know how I feel about that._ ' Miharu wrung his hands in his lap, twisting the red silk fabric of his jacket. He wasn't about to admit to these people how frightened he'd become and had nothing to do with the dreams anymore. Dreams couldn't hurt you.

Inuzuka Okami could. Senju Tobirama could, and he'd willingly permitted his son to stay with Tobirama in a moment of weakness. Homura hadn't come home yet, nor did he write. While he doubted Tobirama would do anything to Homura, Miharu couldn't shake the feeling his child had become a hostage.

And if he did such a thing, was he truly any more admirable than Okami? He felt like a rabbit among hungry dogs. Even _Mito_ had ambitions. ' _Two more weeks_ ,' he kept telling himself. ' _It's only two more weeks…_ '

And if everything went to hell, perhaps he could run away with the Daimyo and leave this insane world behind as it imploded upon itself, taking his son with him.

…

She couldn't believe how many men and women in the clan banded together to investigate Kaizen's suicide. Nobody claimed to be doing this for Tenjin, nor did they claim to do it for Kaizen. They did this because they suspected foul play and the madness needed to stop, especially when one of their fellow Uchiha died in such a bizarre way.

Setsuna and a handful of others combed over leads with her for days, even staying at her home a couple of evenings to backtrack Kaizen's final hours. Where did he go? Who did he see? What state of mind was he in? If it went late enough into the night, somebody stopped by to deliver food to them.

It felt nice to have so many of them over. Some of these people were old enough to be her father or beyond that. Others, like Kagami, were young enough to be her little brother. That didn't make him any less useful in this investigation.

Maybe Setsuna was the sort of man Mito told her to search for: a voice of reason who could balance her out but still recognized that she was the one with a leader's blood in her body. So why didn't it feel right?

It felt more right than it ever had before, but she couldn't shake the feeling a man like Setsuna would walk all over her if given the chance. He'd delegated some of the decisions to her, but she made no mistake. People saw him as a natural leader and she wasn't so sure she liked how they already called him Setsuna- _dono_ and talked over her. ' _He'd do well, though. Maybe…'_

Within the week, people stopped talking trash about Tenjin's greedy ways or how he was a power hungry manipulator who probably cried suicide as a means to cover up murdering his son. Perhaps he had it in him to kill his wife, but not one of his own children. They were his _life_.

Setsuna may have been sold on that theory, but Kazusa wasn't. Naho was her closest and most beloved friend. They'd grown up together closer than even sisters. As a result, she recognized all five of the older brothers, Kaizen included, and had a solid idea of what they were like.

Kaizen may have been secretive, but nothing about that man struck her as suicidal. Quite the contrary; he held his heart close and hidden from others because he had so much to live for. Naori, who interviewed Hyūga Kozue, could attest to that.

It came together a bit more, piece by piece. Kazusa was the first to point the blame in Hyūga Amano's direction. According to Naho, Amano had caused repeated issues for the campaign prior to Kaizen's "suicide." He withdrew his funds for the campaign, blew off meetings, and even made a mockery of the funeral by choosing to insult the family through the floral arrangements.

That's how the Hyūga Clan operated these days. Amano knew he owed his wealth and prestige to Tenjin's dirty work. Tenjin had enough to politically bury the Hyūga head, should even one secret become public.

Naho tore loose in the clan meetings, spilling all the filth and scandal the Hyūga family wished to keep at bay. Many branch children were sired by Amano. Several women disappeared, no trace ever found…all because _someone_ burned them down to ash for a handsome fee.

Even Setsuna was ready to drag Amano in for questioning by this point, not that the clan had authorization to do such things. They could make a complaint in the central building and demand Amano give his side, but it looked bad for him.

Siding with Shimura Daichi so quickly after Kaizen's suicide didn't help matters, either. Daichi was bloodthirsty and violent. "What do we do then? Drag him to our compound and get an answer out of him?" Kazusa felt her sharingan burning fiercely in her skull.

Tonight, even Tenjin himself chose to join the meeting. Kazusa called for it, Kazusa led it, and Kazusa couldn't believe how natural it felt to step forward and take control.

"No…" The grieving father murmured. "No need for that. I'll take care of the Amano problem later this week." He'd offended them for the last time.

' _I'm sure you will, oji-san.'_ Kazusa took it all in, knowing justice was right around the corner for their fallen comrade. "I'm sorry you felt as though we didn't support you in Kaizen's endeavors, _oji-san_. Kozue _-san_ told us what his plans were. If I'd known…"

If she'd known, she would have sided with him, too. His beliefs weren't that different from Mito's. They believed in the same things at their core. Kaizen was reasonable. He could have worked something out with her.

Tenjin merely nodded his head and sighed, his breath shaking. "There is no point in playing _what-if,_ Kazusa- _sama_." And there it was. They would _all_ call her that now. "What matters is that you're here for him now…for him, for my daughter, and for the rest of my family."

"I understand. My actions as of late may have rubbed some of you the wrong way. What I believe in, whom I support…I know now that I speak for us as a whole and not just as an individual. From here on out, I shall keep that in mind. So, please…" She knelt before them, the whole of the clan. "Give me this chance to show all of you how much you mean to me. Help me find justice for Kaizen."

They were all revved up, the old blood coming to the surface once more. It felt good. They'd see. In time, they'd realize they had more allies in this village than they presently knew. The animosity would fade. It only needed another generation or two.

' _We're getting there…'_

With the meeting adjourned, the Uchiha Clan parted ways and returned to their homes, talking about all the rumors and scandals unearthed about the Hyūga Clan. Some speculated Kozue was a bastard daughter. Others said they swore Amano had three secret branch "wives" locked away and never left his house.

"You did well tonight." Setsuna gave a faint smile. "I think, finally, you've come to understand."

"Well, I didn't do it for _you_ ," Kazusa huffed. "We'll take action tomorrow. Now, did you want to have dinner at my place again, or–" But Setsuna already walked off, wanting to catch up with Naka and his wife before everyone parted ways.

Kazusa pulled her jacket closer to her body, feeling a chill coming on. By the time she made it to her house, everyone else was well out of sight. So why was it that she felt the presence of another person inside?

Gingerly, she reached for a kunai, ready to expect the worst, but the door opened the instant she touched the first step. There, in her home, stood the pretty blonde from Naho's team. "Hanako? What are–"

"Sssssssh." The Yamanaka girl put a finger to Kazusa's lips and took her hand by the wrist, pulling her inside. "We need to talk. I don't…I _shouldn't_ , but…" Her gray eyes were wet. "I'm afraid your clan's about to make a _big_ mistake. Will you…will you hear me out, at least…?"


	7. Black Sea of Trees

Yamanaka Hanako spent the night that evening, curling up in a guest futon on Kazusa's floor. They stayed up until the Uchiha heiress couldn't keep her dark eyes open and words stopped making sense. Then again, Hanako had been so worked up and in a panic that her words meant very little in the first place.

"It will make more sense when you sleep," Hanako assured her, wanting to curl up close. Kazusa didn't want to, though. She mostly only knew this girl as Naho's teammate and Kariudo's unrequited crush. She supposed she could understand why. Hanako was quite beautiful with her pale gold curls, grayish-green eyes, and hourglass figure. A couple more years on her, once she was a true adult, and she'd have all eyes on her.

Still, Kazusa couldn't shake the gut feeling the bad dreams were caused by the Yamanaka Clan. That hesitation made it difficult to feel at ease around her guest. It left her wondering if Hanako herself wove nightmares in the sleeping hours. "Your clan is behind the bad dreams."

Hanako didn't refute it. She merely nodded her head and took another sip of the infused water she'd brought along. "That isn't all we did," she admitted. "The dreams were the only part people were meant to notice. They masked our true objective."

"There's _more_?" One of Kazusa's cats made her way into the room, moving to sit on her lady's lap. Kazusa stroked the soft fur, feeling slightly comforted when the animal purred and head-butted her for more attention.

Hanako removed her glasses and hairpins. With her hair down, it almost resembled a lion's mane. "So much more. We were told to gather intelligence on the people my clan didn't want to see become Hokage. Them and their top supporters. We wanted information we could use to make them back down. We wanted to scare them, but no one was supposed to get hurt."

' _I'm not entirely sure I believe you, Hanako.'_ Kazusa pulled her blankets closer to her body. "Why are you telling me this now? Because people _were_ hurt? _Died_ , even?" She'd been at the Sarutobi funeral and heard the rumors of how Sasuke died: toxic medication to bypass the bad dreams. "Did you have a change of heart or something?"

"Not all of us agree with Lord Osamu's orders. He's my _cousin_ and I love him. He and Lady Yanagi raised me. I know them better than most. They meant well in their own way, but–"

"People _died_ ," Kazusa reiterated. "Including your teammate's older brother."

Hanako curled up. "I don't want to be anywhere near my clan head or his sister for a while," she confessed. "I'm afraid. You have no idea what they're like."

 **…**

 **Sasuke was a gift from the gods for arranging this. He had a good head on his shoulders and knew precisely what to say and do to keep the heads of his three major allies from attacking each other. Hashirama could be charming in his own right, but he wasn't the world's best diplomat. Then again, neither was Madara. They** ** _needed_** **Sasuke and both men realized that. Hashirama was simply too naïve to agree and jumped a bit too eagerly at the chance to meet one of Sasuke's allies without him.**

 **This clan, the infamous** ** _men of the mountains_** **, were allegedly psychic: capable of reading minds, possessing bodies, and even communing with the dead. The myths were many and the only way to sort the truth from the lies involved meeting these people firsthand…not that Madara wanted to.**

 **It didn't matter how many times he tried to convince the party to abandon any thoughts of pursuing an alliance with the Yamanakas. Hashirama knew that if they wanted relations to continue with the neighboring families, the other clans would be more easily persuaded if the Yamanaka family openly supported their cause.**

 **Madara was hazy on the details, considering Hashirama didn't even slow down to breathe when he relayed the plan to him. All he gathered from the Senju head's excited blathering was Sasuke somehow managed to convince a clan leader to hear them out. However, in typical Yamanaka Tezuka fashion, he only agreed to do so on his own terrain within his own meeting hall…and in the heart of that godawful forest of his. The mountain was to be coveted (and it held sentimental value for both parties), but those** ** _woods_** **…the** ** _contents_** **of those woods…**

 **"This was a** ** _bad_** **idea," Madara hissed, pulling his cloak closer to his body. "We're going to die out here if you say the wrong thing. And you will, because you're you. We'll end up like those poor bastards dangling from the tree we just passed."**

 **Hashirama laughed nervously, pretending Madara meant those words as a joke, but he knew better. His hand moved to his old friend's shoulder, touching his armor. "Do relax. He's a clan head, just like you and me."**

 **Madara's eyes narrowed. "It's not the same for him. Tezuka's clan is smaller." And as a result, they'd be all the more vicious. The Yamanaka Clan didn't need large numbers to be formidable. All it took was one very discrete Yamanaka to turn an entire army against itself and incite panic. Even for those with a strong enough will to keep the body-jumpers at bay during waking hours, everyone inevitably succumbed to sleep. With defenses down to something as innocent and natural as** ** _sleep_** **, no one was truly immune.**

 **It almost left him wondering if Hashirama ever fought a Yamanaka. If he had, he wouldn't want them anywhere near his precious village.**

 **"That and they know you want something from them." Land, mostly. Hashirama wanted the Yamanaka woods and mountains for the future village. Madara concurred; the terrain would be ideal. A mountain gave the best visibility for miles around, not to mention gravity would be on their side. Mountains were harder to attack. The natives were the issue.**

 **"And almost everything in the world has a price to it. If I can persuade Lord Tezuka to join our cause and** ** _donate_** **the land, then–"**

 **"You're better off with no allies at all than an ally as unpredictable and unstable as that madman." Madara had a personal grudge with this clan, not that Hashirama ever paid him any heed when he implored his friend to be more selective with which clans to approach. The Yamanaka were mind-raping monsters who, upon first glance, saw your true self: the one you wished to hide from the whole of the world.**

 **Years ago, one of Madara's older brothers made the mistake of using his sharingan to cheat in a Yamanaka-owned gambling den. The Yamanaka woman allowed him to pocket the money, but she warned him not to come back. He didn't take the warning to heart and made the mistake of harassing that establishment multiple times until the woman tried to fight him.**

 **He beat her, of course. All it took was one good blow to the head to leave her simpering and crying on the floor—according to his brother, of course. Madara only heard the story secondhand—but at least he had the decency to let her run out of the building before he torched it.**

 **Every time, he'd return home with a good sum, brag to their father, and put the money toward buying something nice for a their prettiest girl cousin.**

 **Despite the fact his brother never had an issue with night terrors before, he certainly did after he incited that woman's wrath. He thrashed around in his sleep, screaming like a frightened child, and cried out for their dead mother. Izuna made the innocent (but stupid) mistake of nudging his big brother to find out why he was crying and nearly ended up being choked to death.**

 **One week after the gambling den burned to the ground, Madara awoke to find his brother's money pouch in his room along with a terse but troubling note** ** _:_**

 ** _"Don't look for me."_**

 **The next time they saw him, only his head and one of his arms were still available for purchase on the black market. Tajima tried to shield his son from staring for too long and urged him to walk faster, but Madara noticed long enough to recognize his brother's eyes were already gouged out.**

 **Later, they discovered the woman who owned the den was one of Yamanaka Tezuka's three sisters. Tajima killed the youngest sister in retaliation, not that slitting a twelve-year-old's throat made him feel any better or like any more of a man. All that did was anger Tezuka further.**

 **Lord Tezuka held a grudge like no other, even over slights only perceived. He remembered everything and let nothing go: not even an eye roll or a hitched breath. He'd cut a man's head off over a goddamn hiccup.**

 **"I can't believe you're this worried about me." Hashirama couldn't help but grin when the man beside him growled, demanding he shut up. "I have nothing to fear, then. I know you won't let anything bad happen to me, Madara."**

 **"Don't be so sure," the Uchiha head murmured, pausing the moment he saw the Yamanaka Clan's meeting hall. He tensed up, taking in deeper breaths the instant he sensed these tall, dead-eyed, flaxen-haired ghouls looming like ghosts all around them. In the fog of the forest, they seemed more** ** _yokai_** **than human.**

 **They unnerved him every time. If Hashirama's ambitions were going to hold, Madara would have to swallow his distaste and pray Hashirama could translate sense into Tezuka's preferred brand of nonsense.**

 **"Where's your brother in all this?"**

 **Hashirama shrugged, sighing. "He wanted to explore the woods." It was now Madara's turn to laugh, though it was more of a low and morbid chuckle.**

 **If he left Tobirama out here with no backup, then maybe Hashirama didn't love his little brother half as much as Madara first thought.**

 **…**

 **They called it the Black Sea of Trees: a seemingly endless horizon of fog, old forest, and shadows. None of the trees bore fruit by their own design, but rather by the legions who chose to hang themselves. Like the butterfly from the cocoon, the corpses burst and ripped apart once they reached a certain point. It wasn't the soul, but merely a buildup of gasses. It didn't make it any less impressive.**

 **Tezuka** ** _-oji_** **sometimes came out here with them, favoring his long walks as a means of clearing the mind. He'd reach for a big stick, see a particularly ripe body, and dare one of the twins to poke it. After the rancid, festering innards turned outward and splattered in all directions, he laughed over the children's reactions until his sides hurt. If his niece cried or his nephew fainted, even better.**

 **Such a turgid display plagued their nightmares, leaving them screaming until their throats turned hoarse. Now they simply refused the stick and left the bloated ones to meet their end by birds and other creatures. There was no point in speeding up the process.**

 **Within eyesight was the** ** _fat skull man_** **: a bloated figure with a broken neck who dangled by a blue silk rope. Save for the blackened portions and few instances of bare bone, his arms were perfectly preserved. She'd touched those arms before and felt their waxy, cheese-like texture. The head was fully skeletonized, but the rest of him reminded her of a torn up stuffed animal hurriedly put back together again by an amateur. The end result was lumpy and awkward. Then again, all dead bodies were awkward. Some even farted and belched.**

 **The** ** _fat skull man_** **was a mental landmark. If she continued further westward, she'd come across the little shoes with the feet and ankles still in place. Then came the man with no face.**

 **He was a corpse where she could see a tight shiny scalp mummified into place with thinning strands of raven black hair still attached. The eyes were gone, as were the cheeks, nose, and other soft tissues of the face. All the way down to the collarbone had turned grey, mostly unidentifiable, with remnants of a hardened tongue and trachea sticking out among dried out, charcoal-colored tendons. From the armor style and the way the dead man dressed, she recognized him as an Uchiha.**

 **Shame. The aforementioned corpses were too far gone for anything of value to still remain on their persons. The fruit was far too fermented.**

 **She and Osamu came out here to visit them sometimes, but they'd long since stopped giving the twins any new information. The fresher bodies could, at least until the bacteria and the bugs made a new home in the head. Until that happened, Yanagi could fill her brain with the final moments of the deceased. Among them were two types: the true suicides and the unwanted intruders who crossed her clan.**

 **Some of her fellow Yamanaka were sent out here once they angered her uncle. So were those who failed to honor their agreements to him. Resources were limited and these woods attracted more vermin than anything else. It was almost as if the animals realized the land was cursed.**

 **Yanagi counted herself as blessed to have so many deceased surrounding her in this ghastly grove. It made it that much easier to hide her thoughts. Sure, the thoughts of the dead and dying kept her up at night and oftentimes broke her heart, but they protected her from sensors, making it that much harder for Tezuka** ** _-oji_** **to find her every time she wandered off.**

 **At one time, she feared the dead. Many died with a cursed name on their lips. Others shrieked within their skulls as their brains shot alight with a last-ditch desire to survive. Buyer's remorse, she supposed. Most of these poor souls (even the** ** _intentionals_** **) changed their minds the moment they realized how much dying hurt.**

 **Now she pitied them. They did it for so many reasons. She didn't mind so much if people willingly came here to die. Their forest truly was the perfect place to do so. The murdered, though…**

 **Even the brave ones who kept a straight face on the exterior screamed in panic mentally. It was loud, impossible to ignore, and made her eyes ache as though tiny hands wished to push them out of her skull from within.**

 **Her eyes went toward the ghost shoes and her heart did a somersault. Every time she saw those feet and no body attached to them, it left her wondering what happened to the rest of the little girl. Yanagi knelt by the feet, moving to tap a toe. "Hey…" she whispered. "I see you haven't wandered off."**

 **No. Nothing moved in this part of the woods other than the swaying multicolored branches in the gentle autumn wind. Osamu would join her soon, provided he could get away from Tezuka-** ** _oji_** **long enough to split and make it here. Neither of the twins wanted to be anywhere near that man once his visit with the Senju Clan's leader came to an end.**

 **But it wasn't her twin Yanagi spotted roaming through the woods. Rather, she caught sight of a white-haired man in blue armor moving about as though he were in search of something…or someone.**

 **'** ** _Why are you here?'_** **the girl wondered. He didn't appear to be afraid or saddened by all the corpses. Normally that meant she stumbled across a true suicide rather than a forced one.**

 **Among the fresher corpses, she could mask herself to most sensors. Yanagi was one of the finest mind-dancers within her clan, surpassing even her brother with such skill. It balanced out; he could hold a possession for far longer and she could only manage it for a two minute maximum…unless they slept.**

 **She wanted this man's story, to peel back the outer layer and see his soul. Ducking in the woods, making sure she hid herself well within the bushes, she closed her eyes and began to project her consciousness into his body.**

 ** _The vision she received involved the burial of two brothers: a scarred child with ash-brown hair and a piebald boy in armor far too large for his tiny body. The latter died seeing the gleam of several scarlet sharingan and felt knives impale him from all sides. She saw one remaining brother: a dark-haired dreamer who wanted to create a world where children didn't die in battle._**

 **'** ** _You think he's an idealist. He isn't seeing reality. He's_** **–'**

 **A shuriken spun in her direction, lodging itself only two inches from the top of her head.**

 **"You may as well show yourself. I know you're there," the man called out. The fact he looked in all directions meant he wasn't sure which one of these bodies still had a pulse. "And I know you're from the Yamanaka Clan." Nobody else could have breached him so easily.**

 **Yanagi brushed herself off, pulling a twig out of her curly hair. "These woods** ** _belong_** **to the Yamanaka Clan. I have a right to be out here and you don't. You're trespassing. Why?"**

 **The man slid something into his bag. "I'm not here as a suicide, if that's what you're asking. I wanted to look around the infamous death forest." And see what he could glean from it.**

 **"I do that sometimes." So did Osamu. "You never know what you're going to find." If they wanted a little money of their own without having to beg their uncle for it, looting the corpses and making nice with the black market was a great way to do it. "You still need to have permission to be out here if you aren't going to kill yourself."**

 **"From a Yamanaka?"**

 **"Exactly. From a Yamanaka."**

 **The man smirked. "Give me permission, then. From one sensor to another."**

 **"I could always kill you instead," Yanagi jeered, arms folded. "Do you have any idea how easily I could jump in your body and make you cut yourself open, tie your guts to a tree, and run around in circles until you run out of intestines?" The man simply blinked and gestured toward a corpse matching that exact description. "Yes. He was one of mine. He peeped on me when I was bathing."**

 **Tobirama took a seat, gesturing for the girl to sit beside him on a mossy stone. This child was trying her best to sound intimidating, like a fierce and frightening adult, but it had the opposite effect on him. The more she talked, the more he saw a nervous brat trying to ward off a stranger. "If you intended to kill me, you would have tried it by now. There's no need for you to act so tough. You're how old? Twelve?"**

 **"Fourteen," Yanagi growled, curling herself up into an annoyed ball. "I'll have you know my family already considers me a woman."**

 **Rather, Tezuka** ** _-oji_** **treated her like one. He also had made it clear that once this matter with Senju Hashirama was resolved, he'd have a long term mission planned for her. A strategic marriage, probably. That or she'd end up as some sort of courtesan, manipulating a court to her clan's liking. They always kept a Yamanaka with the Daimyo.**

 **"I haven't killed you because my clan head's talking with yours right now, possibly about some kind of truce." That's what she gathered, anyway. "Until I know if you're friend or foe, I can't make a move."**

 **If she killed a potential ally, that could ruin any chance of peace with a family other than the Nara or Akimichi Clans. It might even ruin it, since the Sarutobi Clan (their strongest ally) had apparently joined this Senju/Uchiha alliance. If she let him live and Tezuka-** ** _oji_** **declared the Senju their eternal enemies, she'd still have an opportunity to kill this man before the party tried to leave the woods.**

 **"What kind of a man is your leader?" Judging from how pale the girl turned, Tobirama doubted he'd like the answer. Was Hashirama walking into a trap?**

 **"He's…" How could she say this without sharing too much? "Tezuka-** ** _sama_** **is…"**

 **'** ** _He's cruel,'_** **she wanted to warn him. '** ** _He poisoned his first wife when she announced her pregnancy because he has it in his head a direct heir will murder him. He had my mother killed so he could groom my brother and me into something he always wanted.'_**

 **He made them do things together brothers and sisters weren't supposed to do, and he'd watch. He** ** _loved_** **to watch. And yet Yanagi said nothing on the matter. All she did was place a cool hand to her neck to cover the freshest bite mark.**

 **"He won't want to do business with anyone who would try to subjugate the Yamanaka, let alone take their land. Is your brother a good negotiator?" Tobirama's silence was answer enough.**

 **He wasn't.**

…

 **The den smelled of dried herbs burning in large incense bowls. Yamanaka Tezuka sat in the center of the room, wearing a fur cloak over his slate gray armor. Beside him sat his nephew Osamu, clad in a yukata the same shade as a fresh bruise. The clan's emblem, the bush clover, was everywhere, etched into the wood and even woven into the tatami floors.**

 **'** ** _Whatever they're burning, it's sticking to my lungs.'_** **Madara didn't much care for it and found it slightly disorienting. It was strong, pungent, and left him doing all he could to stifle the tickle in the back of his throat. A cough at the wrong time would be misinterpreted by the Yamanaka head as a sign of disrespect.**

 **Hashirama, too, found it hard to breathe in there. He also couldn't stop gazing upon this man. True to their clan's name, Tezuka was as large and imposing to behold as a mountain. Beneath the silk, the armor, and the cloak was a warrior with thigh bones thicker than some trees, shoulders as broad as an ox, and muscle for as far as the eye could see. His hair was long, pale enough to be mistaken for white at first glance, and pulled back from his face into a high-rise ponytail that managed to brush the floor as he sat.**

 **Tezuka's eyes were what stood out the most. They were piercing, with pinprick pupils barely visible in irises the same shade of gray as a stormy sky. The Yamanaka head wore kohl on his face, under the eyes in smears to give his war-worn face an almost skull-like appearance.**

 **"I may be the easiest leader you'll ever negotiate with, Senju Hashirama," he announced, "for you'll never have to open your mouth. All you must do is open your mind to me."**

 **Madara took in a deep breath, sensing the almost predatory nature of the other Yamanaka within the den. Each stare from these people left him feeling as bare as he'd been at birth. He hated this vulnerability, but he'd need to focus on the present rather than his shady past with these people. If he thought about his brother, and therefore about Tezuka's sister, it could come up in conversation.**

 **Hashirama tried to play it off as little more than friendly banter, but he worried this may have been a sincere comment. He bowed to show his respect and sat across from Tezuka and the teenage boy.** ** _Run_** **, the boy's lips seemed to be saying.** ** _Run while you still can_** **.**

 **"I am honored you agreed to meet with us, Lord Tezuka. I brought Uchiha Madara with me to represent the Uchiha Clan: our allies in this endeavor."**

 **"Ally, eh?" Tezuka took a slow toke from his pipe and turned to face his nephew. "You hear that, Osamu? They're** ** _allies_** **now." His laugh felt like thunder as he thumped the boy's back. Osamu grimaced. The strangers had no idea he'd taken a beating two days before for trying to sneak into the woods. "Some ally. He'll be your death, Hashirama."**

 **Madara glared, keeping his silence because he'd paid perfect heed to Tezuka's warning. He knew how this man operated. Hashirama already made a grave error by doing something as innocent as speaking.**

 **"…provided** ** _I'm_** **not," Tezuka added, sneering. "You want to take my land. My mountain, my woods, my–"**

 **"We want your** ** _support,_** **" Hashirama countered. "The Land of Fire has far more clans than most nations. As you can see, the two strongest clans have already put their differences aside for a common goal. One of them, your ally the Sarutobi Clan, has sided with us." So why did this man mock him with such an ugly laugh?**

 **Tezuka wrapped his strong arms around his nephew's shoulders and rested his jaw on the crown of the boy's head. "I want you to take a good look at this man, darling nephew. He talks, but all that comes out are air and lies."**

 **Hashirama hissed in an angered breath, fingers curling into the cloth of his jacket. "I haven't lied to you. We're proposing a village!"**

 **"Which you intend to build on my land** ** _._** **" Tezuka's gray eyes turned to Madara next. "I have gone through Hashirama's mind during this conversation. He either chooses to hide nothing or he simply can't. You, though…? You're refusing to let me in. What are you hiding?"**

 **The Yamanaka head stared at them, wide-eyed and dreadful. "It's no matter," he decided. "From the first moment Hashirama spoke, I knew you bore no love for my clan or my culture. This one speaks out of turn and this one shuts his heart because he has something to hide.**

 **"We can't negotiate. Not like this. Not with people as irreverent of our ways as the two of you. The Yamanaka do not need the Senju, nor does we need the Uchiha." He held one hand out, issuing a command to his people.**

 **Hashirama tried to stand, only to find himself frozen in place, unable to get up. Madara also tried, but to no avail. "Tezuka, you son of a bitch," Madara growled. "You have Nara bodyguards in your court, don't you?"**

 **"He finally talks!" Tezuka howled with laughter, holding both his arms toward the ceiling. The sweat from his skin caught the glow of the flames, causing him to resemble a fire god. "Why wouldn't I have them? They're a longtime ally of mine. The Akimichi and Nara heads have Yamanaka representatives in their courts, too. Don't be so shocked. Osamu."**

 **The boy stood, moving closer to the Nara guards. "Osamu, my** ** _dear_** **, I want you to escort Hashirama into the woods and dispose of him. Your sister will soon sense her order to take out the other brother." And he knew that girl was playing in the woods again. "And give me proof they're both dead. Their heads will suffice." Or another body part. He wasn't too choosy.**

 **"What are you going to do with Lord Madara, then?" Osamu inquired, feeling his stomach sour when his uncle grinned.**

 **"We're going to get to know each other** ** _very_** **closely," Tezuka insisted, stroking Madara's fluffy dark hair. He watched as Madara's breathing turned heavy and angered. The Uchiha could huff and puff all he wished; Tezuka's best Nara had him ensnared and wouldn't let him go anytime soon. By the time she did, he'd have this man in chains. "Any genjutsu, and you die on the spot."**

 **He'd strip Madara's brain bare and pick it apart, turning over every memory to find out just how sincere this so-called alliance truly was. The hand moved from his prisoner's hair toward his hot, outraged face.**

 **"No more secrets…"**

…

 **Tezuka forced Hashirama to strip off his armor and leave it behind in his hall. He couldn't take his weapons, either. Tezuka permitted the Senju head to leave in nothing but his trousers, feeling sharp knives pointing at his bare back the entire time. Normally, Hashirama could perform a jutsu and counteract such an assault, but his hands were bound in such a way that getting them out felt impossible.**

 **Too late, he understood why Madara didn't want to negotiate with these people,** ** _especially_** **without Sasuke present. Tezuka was evil, insane, or some awful combination of the two.**

 **"What's going to happen to him?" Hashirama asked, breaking the silence. "Osamu, right? Please, tell me no harm is going to come to Madara."**

 **"He leads your clan's oldest enemy. Why do you care what happens to him?" the young Yamanaka replied, keeping his eyes on Hashirama's back. His knife poked right at the part where the older man's back connected to the hips. A solid stab could permanently paralyze him.**

 **Hashirama stopped walking. He stood in place, lifted his gaze toward the sky, and realized he couldn't see it beneath the dark and looming branches of the forest. "I care because he is my oldest and closest friend," he confessed. "We've known each other and shared this dream since we were around your age."**

 **Hashirama and Madara had been a few years younger, but Osamu was a bit small and runty for his age. Hashirama knew the Yamanaka were a clan of tall, strong people. Even most of the women were tall. Eventually, that boy would grow to rival his uncle's size; but for now, Hashirama only saw a small, anxious youth.**

 **"I lost all but one of my brothers," Hashirama confessed. "Tobirama's out in the woods somewhere, too." And there was a chance Tobirama would stay here forever, just like these poor souls and sorry bones he now passed alongside Osamu and his entourage of three…but hadn't there been four a moment ago? "One was only seven years old. It left a mark on me, you understand…"**

 **"…you don't have to talk about it." Osamu's voice turned softer. "You haven't attempted to shield your mind to us from the moment you entered the woods. Why?" Most people feared having their brains picked apart. They would sooner die than have their secrets stripped from them.**

 **"Osamu-** ** _sama_** **," the Nara in the party called out with a warning tone. "You're lowering your guard. Lord Tezuka wants this man dead."**

 **"I'm man enough to handle him," Osamu countered, trying his best to hide the nervousness in his voice. "And you can tell my uncle I said that. Go back to the meeting hall." They didn't have to be told twice; nobody liked wandering off in the woods.**

 **They were now alone, two men in the wilderness with no clear path back toward the compound. "They gave me a title already," he admitted. "They do that when you become an adult and prove yourself in battle. I'm the Man Who Never Sleeps," Osamu informed Hashirama. He didn't need the details on why.**

 **The Senju head smiled meekly. "I'll be sure to remember that when you're clan head someday. You're next in line, aren't you?" He recalled hearing somewhere that Tezuka had no children of his own and instead adopted his niece and nephew. He'd heard other things, too, about how those children were treated. Seeing firsthand how Tezuka made his nephew sit on his lap and how little respect he had for the boy's personal space, it left Hashirama wondering if the rumors were right.**

 **He wanted to get a closer look, but Osamu was behind him, still with a knife to his back. "I didn't attempt to hide my mind because there's nothing to hide. I came in earnest and meant every word I said." It caught Hashirama by surprise when he felt something sharp against his arm. Osamu's knife cut through the ropes, freeing Hashirama's raw wrists.**

 **"I know," the boy murmured. "And I know how much this means to you. It's a beautiful dream. You're sure you can make it happen?"**

 **"I won Madara over, didn't I?" Hashirama rubbed his wrists, silently relieved it was too cold out for them to ache at their worst. "Think I can win you over, too?"**

 **The boy glanced down at the kunai in his hand, contemplating. "That depends. Does your possible future still want the Yamanaka?"**

 **"You're strong, proud people, Osamu. I think I want you now more than I did before!" Hashirama stood, offering his hand so he could shake the boy's. "Please reconsider once your time comes to lead. Our village will still want your clan when that day happens."**

…

 ** _"We're going to get to know each other very closely."_**

 **It's what the Yamanaka head assured him their future together held, however short-lived that would be. Hashirama met the easier fate. Madara didn't care how skilled the nephew was; Osamu couldn't be any older than fifteen. Somebody as strong as Hashirama knew how to hold his own against a child.**

 ** _Tezuka,_** **though…**

 **A soul couldn't be this cruel and still claim to be human. They'd tried to negotiate before a demon today: the lord and king of a condemned race of mind-reading monsters.**

 **As soon as Osamu and his small entourage escorted Hashirama out of the hall, Madara's hell began. The Nara representatives took turns holding him in place with their shadow-bonds, giving Tezuka the opening he needed to publicly strip his prisoner.**

 **The armor hit the ground with a heavy metallic thud. The garments underneath were ripped apart with a kunai, peeled from his body as though he were an animal being skinned.**

 **Madara tried again, knowing that if he could so much as get one of these bastards to look him in the eye, it would all be over. They did no such thing. Another Yamanaka—a woman this time—came forward, blindfolded him, and gave his ribs a heavy kick.**

 **All around, Madara heard the low humming of throaty laughter. One kick led to another and he felt hands all over his body. He hated the sensation of being touched. Even being stared at for too long made him uncomfortable. He felt more than merely restrained: he felt** ** _weak_** **.**

 **The burning herbs left him dizzy, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. With his eyes of no use, he couldn't even sense how many people were humiliating him for Tezuka's amusement. He heard them, though.**

 **Nails dug into his skin, leaving pink stripes behind. Others reached to pet his hair. Somebody twisted fingers deep enough into his wild mane to rip out a clump. He winced.**

 **It made him wonder if his older brother met such a fate. When he wandered off at night and into the Yamanaka woods, had he made it all the way to the Yamanaka Clan's meeting hall, just to be put on display before they hacked him to bits?**

 **Would they do the same to him? Would Tobirama talk to his sketchy black market contacts a few weeks from now and find Madara's severed head staring back at him with two gaping holes where his sharingan once resided?**

 **It wouldn't surprise him. By this point, nothing would.**

 **"Your friend will hang in the woods," Tezuka whispered in his ear, "though Hashirama's not really your friend, is he? You hide things from him."**

 **Hashirama would make it out of the woods. Luck tended to fall in his favor. He'd probably find Tobirama just in time and try to come back with reinforcements. By then, Madara speculated, it would be too late for himself.**

 **The swarm of hands stopped, but he still heard the whispers. They were jeering, taunting, and whispering depraved advice to Tezuka for what he should make his prisoner do. That's when he realized how this was going to go and the prospect left him ill with dread.**

 **He felt the fur of Tezuka's cloak on his bare back and the heat of his breath near his face. "True friends hide nothing." He didn't want to be petted or stroked or touched. "And in that regard, Madara, you're about to be my** ** _best_** **friend."**

…

 **It was mid-morning when she first found the stranger. Now the tiny bit of sun Yanagi spotted in a clearing indicated to her that it would soon be evening. She wasted the whole of her day with this man, but it didn't feel like that.**

 **If anything, he intrigued her. Every time he wandered off to scavenge a body or take a piss, Yanagi played a mental game with herself to see if she could ambush him and pry her way into another memory. Each time she tried it, the Senju man barked at her to stop, saying she was acting like a brat.**

 **She'd let it slip somewhere in conversation that her uncle was the clan head. As a result, Tobirama couldn't do much else other than insult her. Anything beyond that could jeopardize relations with thin-skinned Tezuka. "I'm the favorite, too," Yanagi added, though she didn't elaborate on why.**

 **"So, what's this brother of yours planning to talk to my uncle about, anyway?" She sensed a third person in their party, too, but didn't get a good read on him. The deeper into the woods they went, the less she could pick up from anyone other than Tezuka-** ** _oji_** **himself.**

 **"He has it in his head that he wants to join the major clans together to build a village. A friend of ours in the Sarutobi Clan wanted us to look at his dynamic with his clan, your clan, the Nara, and the Akimichi as a model. It only inspired him further." Tobirama sat at the edge of a nearby stream, doing his best to ignore the pile of clothes on the ground with the skeleton still inside. "He means well, but he's naïve. Oftentimes I tag along just to make sure he doesn't stick his foot in his mouth."**

 **Even without prying into his memories, she could pick up on the emotions he felt for his brother. Basic level empathy was a great gift. Tobirama loved his brother and would support his goals out of fraternal obligation, much as Yanagi knew she'd follow her twin to the ends of the earth. "But you didn't go this time."**

 **Tobirama shrugged, peeling the skin off a piece of fruit with his kunai. He gave half to the girl, who quietly thanked him. "Your uncle has a reputation for being unpredictable and violent. I have no patience for people like that."**

 **"…and apparently he has no patience for your brother."**

 **She heard her uncle's voice inside her head. He spoke to her without being anywhere near, loud enough to leave her brain feeling like a bruised apple. "My brother's received an order to kill him. And I'm to kill you after all."**

 **What a shame. He'd been pleasant company. She frowned, readying her stance. It wouldn't be the first time she killed a grown man. "It's nothing personal, you understand?"**

 **"Death's** ** _always_** **personal, Yanagi."**

 **The girl tried to steady her breath, clearly on the verge of tears. He heard it in her voice when it hitched. "I…I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with you…"**

 **He'd been kind to her. Of course she'd enjoy it. Yanagi may have believed herself to be discrete with what she shared today, but she told far more than she realized. Tobirama met girls like this before in his travels: girls who were "favorites" and became overly affectionate to strange men out of years of being groomed and conditioned to behave in such ways. Girls like that grew into consort kunoichi at best and murdering whores at worst.**

 **He wasn't fooled by Yanagi's fair looks and almost angelic appearance. That girl liked him because he didn't make a move on her, even when she flirted. He pitied her, but not enough to write her off as a non-threat.**

 **Tobirama tossed the second half of the fruit to her. "Go ahead, then. Possess me." Yanagi looked up at him in disbelief, still taking deep breaths. "You told me you've done it before." The man with the guts tied to the tree, to be specific. She'd bragged about that one.**

 **'** ** _There's no point in dragging this out. She isn't going to do it. She's too–'_**

 ** _Fuck_** **.**

…

 **"At least let me walk you to the end of the woods." It got much creepier at night. The Yamanaka children told each other stories about how some of the** ** _onryō_** **would come out and destroy anyone who played in the woods after dark. The best way to keep them away involved nailing dolls to the trees, especially dolls well loved by their owners.**

 **He'd been so mean to Yanagi growing up, taking her favorite toys and stuffed animals into the woods to ward off these wrathful spirits. Osamu eventually stopped when his sister threatened to castrate him and nail his genitals to a tree.**

 **Hashirama had reached for the boy's hand out of habit. Osamu let him hold on, just to make sure they weren't separated. "There's enough dead in here where my uncle won't know for sure if I killed you or let you live; but he's going to have his answer when I come home."**

 **But he and Yanagi both were guaranteed one thing in life: as dreadful as Tezuka was, he'd never kill them. Not after all the years of hard work he'd put into molding them into his perfect little dolls.**

 **It unnerved him somewhat. Hashirama put up no guards toward his mind. He remained an open book, even after what Tezuka tried. '** ** _This man is worried for my safety.'_** **More than that. He sensed it; Hashirama was fighting the urge to ask the boy if he and his sister wanted to come with them, defect, and return for the rest of the clan later.**

 **'** ** _But I can't do that._** **' Were he to do that, his clan would never respect him as a leader. They'd see him as a coward who turned tail and ran. "He won't kill me," he reassured Hashirama. "He loves me too much."**

 **Just as he knew he'd sooner die than cause harm to his sister. There was no one in the world he loved more. His clan viewed twins as two halves of the same soul. Should he lose Yanagi, he'd be soulless. She–**

 **Osamu yanked Hashirama's hand and ran deeper into the woods, out toward the eastern sector. Hashirama occasionally made a noise of pain because he was barefooted and all kinds of sharp fragments were on the ground, but he matched the teenager's pace. "What is it? What's wrong?"**

 **"My sister has your brother!" And he wouldn't slow down, not even for an instant. A split second could be the difference between life and death.**

 **The pair ran as quickly as their legs could take them. '** ** _Yanagi, stop. STOP.'_** **But she wouldn't be able to hear him in the woods, not in the location he knew she'd take Tobirama to. She had a favorite site: the darkest depths of the woods untouched by the sky.**

 **Hashirama came to a halt as he found his brother sitting on a tree branch with a rope tied savagely around his neck. "Senju Hashirama…" It sounded so strange to hear his brother's voice utter his full name.**

 **"…ah. You're Yanagi, aren't you? Osamu's sister?" As terrified as he was, as worried as he felt that she was going to force his brother to jump from that tree and hang himself, he kept a level tone. "Please don't do this, dear."**

 **"Orders are orders, Senju Hashirama. None of you can leave the woods alive." Tobirama leaned back, allowing gravity to work its wonders, but Osamu threw his knife to break the rope. Yanagi let loose a pained huff from the bushes but was otherwise fine. Tobirama, now free of the** ** _shintenshin_** **technique, let loose a long string of profanities.**

 **"Osamu…" Hashirama had his hand extended. "This is your last chance. If you and your sister want to come with us and–"**

 **"Like hell we're doing that!" Tobirama yelled, thumping his brother upside the head. "The little witch just tried to kill me!" Hashirama ended up being dragged all the way out of the woods, Tobirama muttering curses under his breath the whole time. "I swear…that clan's going to go** ** _extinct_** **if that sadist continues running it."**

 **…**

 **By the time it ended, Madara cared very little for what happened to his body. The biggest violation of all was directed at his mind. His memories and all the precious secrets he buried deep inside himself were brought to the light for Yamanaka Tezuka's entertainment.**

 **Madara was too exhausted to fight back when they chained him up in another room. Every lament, loss, grievance, insult, and moment of pain felt raw all over again. It felt** ** _fresh_** **, perhaps even twice as agonizing as it had when it first happened. His mother's declining health, finding his brother's head, losing Izuna…**

 ** _Feeling his own hands caress his naked body like a strange lover, knowing the movements were not his…hearing these people jeer and heckle with their lewd commentary…_**

 **His plans for his future, for building this dream that meant so much to Hashirama…it felt so empty. What was the point in even saving lives if these were the lives they'd have under their banner?**

 **The worst part came in knowing that he knew what Tezuka accomplished by scraping every last corner of his mind. It meant there was now a man out there—a horrid man Hashirama tried to bring in as an** ** _ally_** **—who knew everything about him…including all the ugly, shameful things he swore he'd kill himself over if anyone found out.**

 **Tezuka knew what made Madara toss and turn between the sheets, what made it impossible to sleep on the worst of the ruminating nights, and what fears and lamentations haunted him with every waking hour. Tezuka knew who he loved, who he wished with all his heart he could bring himself to love, and how it would devastate him if any of these names were made public.**

 **A thin sliver of light caught his attention as his gaze left the floor. The door slowly opened, bringing in a few more rays. With the blindfold finally shaken off, Madara could see the main hall. He heard a Yamanaka woman shrieking in there, shouting all kinds of vicious things at Tezuka's effeminate, weak nephew.**

 **The woman was incoherent, yanking at her hair until Madara thought she'd rip her scalp in two. Her face was scarlet and stained with fat tears, contorted into something hideous to behold.**

 **"I don't know what the hell you were thinking," he finally heard her whimper. "They'll come back with reinforcements and burn this place to the ground!"**

 **'** ** _You're goddamn right we will.'_** **And it would give Madara such great pleasure to do to Tezuka what the Yamanakas threatened to do to him once he stopped entertaining their leader. Tezuka's head needed to be removed and placed on a pike.**

 **The door was fully open now and he caught sight of a silhouette: a figure too small to be Tezuka. As his eyes adjusted, he recognized the shade of purple from the yukata. '** ** _The nephew…'_**

 **As Osamu moved closer, Madara readied himself to grab the runt in the hopes of holding him as a bargaining tool. Perhaps if he had the kid as a hostage, he could walk out of here. His voice felt hoarse from all the incense. To his surprise, the boy unlocked the manacles. "I should kill you, you know. For what your fucked up uncle did to me…" But he needed to know something. "Did you kill him?"**

 **This whole time, he worried that he'd leave these woods alone. If Tobirama died out here, he wouldn't much care. That would be Hashirama's heartache alone to endure, but–**

 **"…yes."**

 **Madara's face turned pale. He never believed one word could squeeze the life right out of him, but it had. This boy, this** ** _child_** **, had succeeded where he had failed. Hashirama was and always had been the only thing close to an equal in his life, and the damn fool kept inviting him back for more.**

 **'** ** _You…'_**

 **He felt what was left of his damaged heart tear itself up. A resurgence of stamina charged through his body: a red-hot swarming mass of rage. He wanted to squeeze the life out of this little bastard with his own two hands. It would be easy, considering how small he was. All he had to do was wrap his hands tightly around that throat, push his thumbs to the thyroid, and hold pressure until Osamu's face turned purple and he stopped moving.**

 **"You** ** _murdered_** **my–"**

 **The boy's lips moved, finding it hard to talk. He tried to project a thought, making the hand sign to do so, but Madara slapped Osamu's wrist out of the way. It's all he needed to force out a few words between gasps. "Uncle," he rasped. "I killed** ** _my uncle."_**

…

Yanagi surrounded herself with the prettiest things Konohagakure could offer. Her uncle, the notorious Yamanaka Tezuka, nearly poisoned their clan's chance to join in this glorious venture. He wanted no part of it, failing to realize he could either come willingly or the village could send men like Uchiha Tenjin to come back and take the place by force and fire.

Madara had his dignity. Tenjin was enough of a starving dog to have none, and the Yamanaka Clan met him (and many other mercenaries) far later. Even those in the clan who didn't want to accept Osamu's rule right away were dragged into Konohagakure: unified, whether by friendship or fear.

By far, Osamu had been the youngest clan head in the village: a mere fourteen years old in an assembly otherwise full of adults. And yet he and his sister both continued to impress the Senju Clan as they grew.

Her brother…her _beloved_ brother…

She feared him sometimes, worried that he was gradually turning into something as depraved and inhuman as the man who raised them. Yanagi feared it in herself, too, wondering if perhaps the village saw past her beautiful façade and realized what a filthy creature she'd become: all for the sake of the village.

Tobirama accepted her invitation to dine with her tonight, preferably without Osamu. She'd apologized so many times for the incident with the noose, never truly sure if he'd forgiven her. The whole meal was quiet, save for the occasional sound of lips smacking.

Silence was unbearable. It reminded her of the old woods. She _had_ to break it. "Your cousin Toka came by earlier." He hadn't spoken to her since Sarutobi Sasuke's death. "She says you asked her to handle the Inuzuka Okami matter for Mitokado Miharu."

Now he wouldn't even sit next to her. They were across, staring each other down. And when he looked at her like that, she was too scared to even attempt to poke into his brain.

"Don't you trust me to do it, Lord Tobirama?"

"You're too high profile right now." Tobirama took another sip of his drink and stared her down. He never once gave Yanagi what she insisted she wanted, mostly because he had his doubts. She'd turned into everything he predicted. She'd been a useful ally and he valued her skills, but she wanted him to love her.

He couldn't. Not after seeing just how many men she'd led to their deaths.

"The Uchiha Clan doesn't believe Kaizen's death was a suicide, Yanagi. They're pointing fingers at Hyūga Amano right now. How long do you think that's going to last?"

"They don't believe…?" Yanagi's heart fluttered in her chest and she found it hard to eat.

 **She caressed him just as Kozue would,** ** _kissed_** **him as Kozue would. When it was over, she'd stroked his hair and told him that it's a shame he got caught up in all this mess…** ** _as Kozue would_** **.**

 **Men weren't supposed to openly weep, but she'd seen several do it over the past seventeen years. She'd killed a Daimyo this way before. Yanagi stroked Uchiha's Kaizen's dark hair, enjoying the coarse and almost wild texture of his snake-like coil curls. It was so different from her own long, fair hair.**

 **He turned his face away from her, shivering. "Please, don't do that," he begged. "Haven't you hurt me enough?"**

 **Hurt** ** _him_** **? That was rich. He didn't know how bad it** ** _could_** **hurt. This spoiled thing was the favorite son of the village's wealthiest saboteur. Tenjin made bank and he never appeared to be abusive or cruel toward his children.**

 **"I don't understand why you did this."**

 **He needed to stop talking. This was all for a cause Yanagi believed in, but Kaizen wouldn't care. He wouldn't see it that way. He'd only see her as something damned.**

 **"Tell someone if you want," Yanagi dared him, "but nobody's going to believe you. Your whole line's dirty and you know it."**

 **"I know." Kaizen brushed himself off, putting his clothes back together, and began to stagger toward his clan's compound. "But at least I'm not from your line."**

As she forced Kaizen to tie the noose, his brain screamed for mercy. But his hands continued to do as Yanagi instructed and placed the rope around his neck. In older age, Yanagi's skill as a Yamanaka had flourished and her abilities now rivaled her brother's.

Osamu needed to count himself as fortunate that she was a loving, loyal sister and not hell-bent on destroying him.

It was possible, she knew. Yanagi could make or break any man within village walls and outside. They'd raised the ultimate femme fatale: a deadly beauty with a frozen heart, capable of melting for only a select few.

Her fingers reached to touch the high collar of her lavender dress. She'd covered everything up from the chin down since the incident. Were she to bare her neck, the whole of the world would see the ligature marks. They would take weeks to completely heal.

"Do I even want to know the details, Yanagi?"

As meek as a mouse, she reached to remove her tinted glasses from her face so Tobirama could see for himself. Her eyes were red; vessels popped and burst from being strangled.

No. He did _not_ want to know.


	8. The Law In Their Hands

That night, Kazusa discovered dreams based on another person's memories felt a thousand times more horrific than the false prophecies she and the rest of the village experienced over the past few weeks. Hanako kept her word, though. Things _did_ make far more sense once she closed her eyes and became somebody else for a few hours.

 **In her dreams that night, Kazusa watched as her hands made a noose, but everything felt wrong. Although she acknowledged this was indeed her body, she didn't send these commands from her brain. A whisper in the back of her head kept telling her she** ** _knew_** **it had to end this way, that it was the only way to maintain the silence.**

 **Silence, she realized, was necessary, but not at this cost. Her family carried a secret so dreadful that were it to come to light,** ** _everyone_** **would be taken down. The dead could do no further damage, so the whisper argued her need to join them. And yet…**

 **'** ** _I don't want this!'_** **she realized. More than ever, she knew she wished to live. She loved someone who would have a whole lifetime of hardship ahead should anything happen to her. All around, she took in the scene and recognized it, but she'd never seen it from this angle before.**

 **She sat on the rafters of Uchiha Tenjin's home with the noose tied tight around her neck. "Please," she whispered, knowing nobody cared to listen. "Don't make me do this…" To her horror, her body leaned forward as though ghost hands pushed her. Her fingers pried themselves free of the wood, despite how intensely she willed them to stay put. She sank like a river stone, the rope became taut, and she swung like a pendulum.**

 **The fall failed to snap her neck, so she found herself strangling, choking from the pressure of the rope on her trachea. She couldn't breathe or cry out for help. A woman's voice kept assuring her this was meant to be, but that didn't bring any solace. Her face turned purple, her eyes scarlet, as she flailed her legs about and performed the Spandau ballet in the air.**

 **Kazusa reached at the rope, clawing at it with her nails until one of them pulled backward and separated from the quick. It bled and hurt enough for her brain to turn white-hot for a few seconds, but she couldn't cry out. Only a gurgle left her lips, hoarse and awful.**

 **"Boys…?" she heard Tenjin call out at the far end of the hall. He couldn't see her, but she saw his figure. "Naho…?"**

 **'** ** _Help me_** **,' she thought, struggling to remain conscious. '** ** _Cut me down and help me…'_** **All he'd need to do was run over there, give her something to stand on long enough for her to pry the noose off…or cut the rope. Yes. That.** ** _That_** **would be so much faster.**

 **Were he to do this for her, she'd confess every awful secret she buried in her chest: about loving somebody she couldn't have…about using his influence and money to support her own cause rather than being his puppet for the rest of her life…about this horrible, awful thing that happened between herself and–**

 **The beam snapped, taking her down with the debris that would crush her and stomp out the last bit of life she carried in her body.**

Although Kazusa yelped when she awoke, Hanako didn't. She merely turned over in her futon and pulled the apricot-colored sheets back. "You understand now, don't you?" the Yamanaka whispered. "I showed you this out of guilt. As soon as people started dying, I couldn't bring myself to continue."

"Was this _you_ , though?"

It became clear to her now that a Yamanaka slipped inside Kaizen's body in his dying moments, forcing him to stage a suicide. She hadn't known Kaizen anywhere near as well as she knew Naho, but that whole family suffered a loss from which they'd never recover. ' _But it wasn't a suicide.'_ This was a murder, pure and simple.

"Which one of you did this?" It needed to be brought to light.

Hanako seemed to understand that as she got up. The first crack of dawn bled through the windows of the Uchiha heiress's home, catching all the gold in Hanako's hair. She reached for the clothes she'd worn the night before and moved to another room so she could change. "Yanagi- _sama_."

Now she understood how dangerous it would be to make an accusation. Were Yanagi to discover one of her fellow clansmen (let alone _her precious little cousin_ ) betrayed her confidence, the end result could be catastrophic. Hanako needed to stick close to Kazusa for her own protection, just as Kazusa felt the need to keep the Yamanaka girl close to her so her mind could be shielded.

Suddenly, staying alone felt about as safe as jumping from the rafters with a rope around the neck.

"I'll help you build a case to bring before the temporary committee and our acting regent, but I want to stay with you for a while. Is that alright?" Hanako averted her gaze to the window, turning away. "I know I don't have any valid grounds for asking. You aren't even my teammate, but–"

"We're _friends_. Aren't we, Hanako?" This felt simultaneously smart and foolish on both their parts. "The first sign I find myself acting strange, you're gone. Considering what you just showed me about your cousin, I'm a little hesitant to trust you."

"And yet you know the safest way to fend a Yamanaka assault off is to have another one near you. There's a trade-off. I know. And I meant what I said. I love my clan and I love everyone in there, but this has to stop." They lost one of their oldest and most beloved allies in the crossfire when Kaizen was the only real target. "You said they suspect Amano- _sama_ had a hand in this?"

Kazusa threw something on without giving much care to whether or not it was neat. She finger-brushed her hair, deciding to simply pull it back into a ponytail today instead of spending an ungodly length of time attempting to tame it into her usual braid. " _I_ suspected him. They're–"

Oh god. Even from here, she could tell Setsuna's home was vacant.

They'd taken action.

…

They needed enough to form a squad, just in case the Hyūga family fought back, but too many would be misconstrued as a mob. The Uchiha wanted justice for their fallen comrade, but Setsuna understood the need to exercise great caution. A different set of rules applied when it came to confronting clan heads, especially the heads of families as powerful and affluent as the Hyūga.

Amano, despite his tendency to outsource the dirtier work to mercenaries, was hardly a joke. This man paid to have his older brother murdered, just so he could lead the Hyūga Clan in his stead. When his widowed sister-in-law chose to fight back, he'd personally defeated her and placed the mark upon the whole of her line. Rules only applied to Amano when Amano agreed with them.

It would give Setsuna unparalleled pleasure to take him down.

"I don't like the idea of you coming along for this, Tenjin." Setsuna also couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to go over there in his armor or in civilian clothes. Perhaps some light armor would be enough…just enough to cover his tenketsu from a possible Gentle Fist assault. "I'll take one of your sons with me, if you wish, but–"

Tenjin frowned. "You have yet to be a father, Setsuna. You don't understand this type of grief or how deep it goes. I hope you never do."

Setsuna would be a father someday. There was a high likelihood he'd even marry Kazusa and become the sort of clan head the Uchiha Clan needed. Sure, the girl tried her best, but nobody expected her to be a replacement for the man they lost.

"We're here because of my son. I must be here."

"I wouldn't mind if one of your sons came with me, but _you_ …" Setsuna shook his head. "I still have reservations regarding you."

"You accused me of murdering my son." Tenjin's arms were folded. "I intend to come along for this. I know Amano better than you do. I've done business with him for many years."

' _I'm sure you have,'_ Setsuna mentally mused, huffing out his annoyance in irked chuffs as he conceded. "Very well. But you aren't running this show."

Setsuna expected the older man to argue and try to take command in that slimy way he always did, but Tenjin made no such effort. If anything, he seemed to be no more than a shell of his former self. Perhaps he'd reverted to the man he'd been before Konoha existed. Setsuna saw so little of the _Son of a Thousand Fires_ in him. All he saw was a heartbroken father who wanted retribution. For this, he supposed he couldn't fault him.

' _Welcome back to the clan, you old firebug.'_

The other clansmen Setsuna selected to come along were Tatsumi and Keiko: a pair of siblings with whom he'd always held a strong bond. Tatsumi could allegedly use his sharingan to force a confession out of a person and Keiko used a sword better than most. Considering they were going after a clan head today, Setsuna hoped Keiko wouldn't have to use it.

If Tenjin was right about Amano, he had a tendency to make people who spoke ill of him disappear. He'd know, considering he'd disposed of several over the past seventeen years and been paid handsomely for it.

The Hyūga district was in sight: so lavish and beautiful. Their compound sat as the largest in the village despite other clans carrying larger populations. Those well-tended lands, pretty buildings, and tranquil nuances were all bought at great price by a man who naturally never would have led his clan.

"What I'd give to torch it…" Setsuna nudged Tatsumi with his elbow to shut him up.

"What's the plan, Setsuna?" Keiko inquired. "We're following your orders. Are we making a citizen's arrest, or–"

"Answers come first," Setsuna decided. "We'll see if he invites us in. From there, we tell Amano exactly what we know and what we suspect. He can either confirm or refute, but we at least need to know." And depending on how Amano received them and answered them, he'd either come out of this humiliated or dead.

They gathered at the front gate of Amano's private estate and made their presence known, requesting an audience. The door slid open and the Uchiha squad was met by Kozue. She didn't completely leave the shadows, however, and hid half her face behind the door. Setsuna noticed from body language alone that something was wrong.

"Welcome to my clan's compound, Lord Setsuna. Lord Tenjin. I apologize. I'm not familiar with the other two…"

"No offense taken, Hyūga- _san_ ," Keiko piped up, offering a smile. "I don't know your name, either."

"Did you come to see Lord Amano?"

" _They_ did, but _I_ came to check on you," Tenjin confessed. "Kozue, I know about you and Kaizen. I may not have approved, but with my son gone, the least I can do is make sure the girl he loved–"

The Hyūga woman stepped into the light so the squad could gaze upon her…including the ugly bruise going from her right eye all the way down to her jaw.

"…he's home," she growled, narrowing her eyes, "and he did this to me _._ "

…

Every half kilometer, Hanako begged Kazusa to stop and give her a chance to catch her breath. "What the hell, Hanako?" Kazusa snapped. "The Hyūga Clan might be under siege right now and you're stopping to nurse your _feet_?"

"I didn't expect to be walking this much!" Hanako confessed sheepishly. "These shoes weren't made for running!" There would be blisters there from all the friction by the time they finished today. "I'm–"

The Uchiha heiress loudly sighed in annoyance, squatted down, and gestured for the blonde to ride on her back. "Go ahead. Hop on before I change my mind."

Although the Yamanaka girl initially seemed hesitant to climb on the Uchiha girl's back, she obliged and wrapped her arms and legs around Kazusa.

"You and Naho both wear dumb shoes." And just like Hanako, she'd had to carry Naho a whole slew of times. "You're both kunoichi. _Chūnin_ , for heaven's sake…"

Hanako's face flushed in embarrassment. "And she says you're stronger than some of the men in your clan. Did it ever occur to you she wears those shoes on purpose to make you carry her?"

Yes, the thought crossed her mind before, but Kazusa didn't care. Naho felt light on her back and she loved to spoil her. Kazusa may have been the actual princess between the two, but Naho played the part far better. Hanako wasn't Naho, though, and the similarities she'd thrown Kazusa's way both yesterday and today made her feel uncomfortable. People weren't interchangeable.

"Just shut up and tell me we aren't too late."

"How can I feasibly do _both_ those things, Kazusa?"

"Smart-ass."

"We'll need more people." And they'd made it to the heart of the village. These streets contained the stores and shops owned by a mixture of people: shinobi and civilian alike. Hanako closed her eyes and Kazusa felt a chill. "If you agree with me, your teammates are two blocks to our right."

' _But I see somebody stronger.'_ By a seedy-looking sushi bar, Kazusa spotted Shimura Daichi in deep conversation with a long-haired man wearing a hood and mask. At Daichi's side, his son fidgeted and tried his best _not_ to look bored out of his mind. "Hanako…"

"Hm?"

"My teammate, Kariudo, fancies you. If you ask him to come with us, he'll do it. Talk to him." She moved so Hanako's feet once more touched the ground. The Yamanaka ran off to recruit the Inuzuka boy and possibly the Nara girl in his company.

Kazusa, however, had no idea who the masked man was. She knew he was _real_ , at least, before he used a Genjutsu to part ways and seemingly vanished into a cloud of smoke. "Talking about something you shouldn't, Lord Daichi?"

…

 **Daichi shook his head in slow disapproval. His companion had always held his head high within the village, helping shape it by recirculating the dreams and ambitions of the figureheads until it felt like religion. This creative, proud, magnificent man now wished to hide his beautiful face behind a mask.**

 **'** ** _You're ashamed of your scars,_** **' Daichi supposed. Scars were proof of survival and could make a man more threatening to behold, but clearly his comrade didn't hold the same sentiments regarding the marks as the Shimura Clan did.**

 **"He sent Lady Toka to pay a visit to Okami on my behalf."**

 **"Did you ask him to do that?" Daichi received no response from his present company. Beneath the porcelain, he had no way of knowing what expressions Mitokado Miharu made.**

 **Did he weep on the ceramic? Bleed from stretching his mutilated mouth too far? Poke at the sutures with his tongue to taste the bloody heat of the recovering wound?**

 **"I know better than to ask Tobirama for anything. Tobirama** ** _offers_** **and I call him generous. The moment I ask or express my gratitude, I'll owe him." If Tobirama took action and only told Miharu after the fact, Miharu could still make a claim the Senju man acted of his own volition. "And right now, no man terrifies me as much as he does."**

 **"** ** _Tobirama_** **is who you fear? Not me?" Daichi wanted to hear his old friend laugh, but it didn't happen. When he nudged the Mitokado man, he noticed how tense Miharu was. "Or** ** _Yamanaka_** ** _Osamu_** **, for that matter?"**

 **"Osamu is Tobirama's dog. Everyone knows that." Senju Tobirama had the backing of two of the more frightening families: Aburame** ** _and_** **Yamanaka. "I have a healthy respect for you, Daichi, but I've never feared you. I never could read Tobirama, and it's that lack of knowing that's making me toss and turn."**

 **"The mask isn't for vanity purposes, is it?" Now he understood. "You're about to ask** ** _me_** **for a favor."**

 **"…I need to know if my son is alright. Homura is friends with your boy. Could Danzō–"**

 **…**

Daichi didn't get up. "It's rude to interrupt conversations, girl. If you wish to be shown the proper respect allotted to clan heads, then you need to show respect to others where it's owed. Has anyone ever told you that?"

' _From Setsuna, I hear it every goddamn day.'_ The girl moved closer. "Is Hyūga Amano a friend of yours?"

"I wouldn't exactly call him _that_ , but–"

"Do you care if he gets hurt?"

…

They hadn't worked together in at least five years. The Yamanaka Clan did what they could to advance things for Tobirama thus far, but some things were best left to the Aburame Clan. Osamu and Yanagi were too loud for Mukade's preferences. Too violent, too vicious, too rooted in the old ways to ever truly think this village would work.

The Aburame Clan, however, saw this as a blessing. It was a chance to meet other cultures, learn from them, and build better alliances. They may have been few in numbers, but nobody underestimated their capabilities.

"Don't talk much; do you, Mukade?" Senju Toka was a tall, impressive amazon of a woman and perhaps the strongest kunoichi in the Senju Clan. More importantly, she was Tobirama's first cousin and saw the importance of maintaining a Senju-controlled village.

An Uchiha in power could spell disaster. The same rang true for the Shimura. Perhaps the Sarutobi man wouldn't have been the end of the world, but there were only three candidates left. Two out of three would be favorable.

This woman, though? _This woman_ supported the Uchiha and attacked a high ranking village official _._ Lord Miharu was the pair of lips who whispered into the Daimyo's ear. He preserved the chronicles of their history for posterity. He'd make her fallen cousin immortal and do the same for her other cousin.

And if Toka made things right by eliminating Miharu's oldest enemy, perhaps he'd make her immortal, too.

"Come now, Mukade. Speak."

" _Lord_ Mukade," the man corrected her. He was a clan head and they would be going up against another one. He was also very much of the belief that the sharp nose and ears of the Inuzuka Clan meant Okami would hear and smell them long before she saw them. Their best bet would be silence and his insects. "You talk too much."

"And you, friend, talk too little."

"Friend?" Mukade blinked slowly beneath his dark glasses, not that Toka could see. He shrugged, squatted down in the woods, and allowed a substantial amount of his swarm to fly out into the wilderness. They would track Okami's scent and–

He pointed westward, toward a thick and dark patch of woods. Sometimes, he found it so hard to believe that a vast part of this wilderness once belonged to those skull-scraping ghouls who followed Tobirama around like a pair of loyal hounds. "…that direction."

"I meant what I said. You're a friend for supporting my cousin, Mukade."

Again, no honorific. What the hell was wrong with her? Did she think so highly of herself?

Mukade said nothing. It wasn't any of Toka's business why he chose to do what he did. In reality, he'd come along only because Tobirama put a stop to the mass Hyūga expansion. They had half as many people in that clan as the Aburame Clan, yet somehow managed to convince Hashirama to give them twice as much land.

Tobirama changed that with a simple rezoning. Tobirama seemed like a fair man. A _reasonable_ man. Mukade couldn't say the same for the other candidates.

Into the heart of the wilderness they rushed, chasing after the trail Mukade's insects made for them.

"… _gotcha, bitch_ ," Toka whispered excitedly as her emerald green eyes caught sight of the Inuzuka matriarch.

Okami had a bow and arrow on her, but no other weapons. Why should she need them, considering these were Inuzuka lands and within village borders? A wild boar flopped before the Inuzuka head with enough arrows in its back to resemble a bloodied hedgehog. Her two dogs licked their chops, ready to pounce and maul the beast together as a trio.

' _What's the plan?'_ Mukade wondered. He was more of a stealth man, personally, but Toka seemed the sort to rush in and take charge for herself. "Do we announce ourselves?" The hungry gleam in Toka's eyes left him concerned, but she shook her head.

Okami moved closer to the boar when it stopped moving, ready to rip it open with her talon-like nails. She wasn't going to eat him with his jacket still on, but there was enough meat on this beast to feed herself, her brothers, and Kariudo for a week. The dogs would enjoy the scraps and gnaw on supple bones, suckling out the marrow.

Her nails were black from all the dirt, grime, and blood she'd shown them over the past few days, but with every step, her voyeurs heard her hum an old battle hymn. Okami licked her chops like a wild beast, grinning to show her sharp canine teeth.

"I know you're here," Okami barked. "I smell two of you and I know one of you's an Aburame by scent alone. You may as well make yourselves known and help me drag my kill home. Maybe I'll share."

But that wasn't how it played out. They didn't come out for her. "You're being stupid, staying hidden," Okami warned. "Makes it look like you're up to something. Poaching, maybe?" No answer. "Come out or I'll drag you out. You're trespassing on my land and I have the right to rip you apart with my bare hands for doing so."

"Do it, then," Toka dared, and pounced toward Okami with the genjutsu in full gear. The Inuzuka head didn't see a woman coming at her, but rather a massive she-bear twice the size of a normal beast.

It towered tall enough to make it difficult for the Inuzuka matriarch to see the head. One claw was the size of her entire torso and it swung at her. It dawned on Okami that she still had half a quiver of arrows left, but all her hand managed to grab when she reached back were hungry bugs which bit her with the intensity of fire ants.

She swore as her hand turned red, swollen, and covered in white-headed bumps. The arrows were gone and the insects still wished to feast, crawling through her tangled snow white hair. They chewed at her scalp, leaving it burning and itchy.

And yet she couldn't stop to scratch or get them out because this thing–this dreadful, massive, invulnerable _thing–_ wanted to devour her. The bear roared, swung at her again, and ripped a nearby tree apart when it missed.

All around her, Okami noticed the bear was no longer alone. The trees came to life, trying to hold her in place with their gnarled and ugly arms. For a brief moment, she thought she lost sight of the monster and took that moment to scratch at her head. Blood came back and those things kept biting at the broken flesh.

All she could think was that she never wanted the Aburame Clan in Konoha. She'd called them _flea people_ in the past and openly protested having them as neighbors until Hashirama forced her to accept them. "WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME?!" Okami yowled, once again dodging the big bear. "I'M THE MATRIARCH OF THE INUZUKA CLAN: THE SHE-WOLF OF KONOHA!"

She yelled, calling for her brothers and her dogs to come and help her. She had no way of knowing Mukade already took a kunai to both animals and they'd drawn her too far away from the Inuzuka settlement for any of her brothers to hear her screams. Okami may as well have been mute and odorless.

The bear growled this time, charging at her on all fours. Its teeth were the color of urine, standing out as islands in a lake of pinkish froth. A sane person would continue running, but–

' _It's a genjutsu,'_ Okami finally caught on. ' _There's a_ _ **person**_ _in there!'_

She didn't have any weapons left to use, save for the ones nature gave her. Even without her beloved dogs by her side, she'd charge at this monster on all fours, rush forward with all her might, and–

The shriek she let loose pierced the woods with such intensity that every bird nearby flew away and all the smaller creatures ran in fear. The pain was too much to register right away. As she panted, trying to bring herself at least enough lucidity to evaluate the source of pain in her dominant arm, she saw and screamed again.

Her right arm was caught in a bear trap. The metal teeth of the contraption dug deep into the meat, scraping the bone with her every motion. If she moved it the wrong way, it could hack her arm apart.

The genjutsu came to an end and Okami saw two figures coming closer. "Mukade…?" She _knew_ an Aburame was out there, but for their _leader_ to do this… "How _dare_ you…to a woman whose rank matches your own…"

Mukade said nothing. He moved out of Toka's way. The Senju woman crouched so she could stare directly into Okami's eyes.

' _It was you,'_ Okami realized. ' _You were the bear!'_

"What…is it you…want?" Okami panted. "Supporting your cousin? Apologizing…apologizing to Mitokado _-san_ …for ripping up his…his pretty face…?"

Her assailants remained silent. They merely smiled and walked away, leaving Inuzuka Okami behind to starve to death in the woods…where no one would find her for another three weeks.

…

Amano's son and daughter, Taiyō and Tsuki, were close in age to one another and he'd made it clear he wouldn't necessarily use primogeniture to determine who came next in the Hyūga line of succession. " _Posture_ , son!" Amano shouted. "You're slouching. It's no wonder your little sister keeps making a fool out of you. _Straighten your back_."

"I _am_! I'm making you look bad!"

The Hyūga head rolled his eyes when his daughter gloated, which she ignored. Tsuki charged once more at Taiyō, byakugan on, but failed to notice her father put his leg out where she'd trip and fall over it. The child toppled over, limbs sprawled out in all directions. The girl groaned from the floor.

"You aren't without fault either, love," Amano pointed out. "Your brother has terrible posture, but at least he pays attention to his surroundings."

They needed to learn by example. Amano refused to raise weak children, considering he disinherited his sister-in-law and her whole line. They were condemned to a life of servitude, but that didn't mean they were incapable of conspiring together for revenge. Kozue already tried it a few times. It's why he had to smack her around and put her in her place earlier.

One of these days, the branch families would revolt. Amano could feel it in his bones. This was why he needed to surround himself with powerful people his fellow Hyūga feared. Tenjin helped him come to power all those years ago, but Tenjin's allegiance had to be bought.

Long before he paid to have his brother murdered, Amano worked alongside Toka, Tenjin, and Okami in the Konohagakure Expansion Campaign. The four of them made a frighteningly efficient team, seized more land for the village, and watched as even more clans chose to fight under Hashirama's rule.

At first, Okami was the only head among them. Her clan respected her as a leader, knowing the title came to her by birthright. Amano and Tenjin were merely ambitious no-names from infamous families, wishing to make a name for themselves in this promising new world. And they _could_ here. Opportunities abounded.

Tenjin would never rule the Uchiha due to his low-ranking birth, but he didn't have to rule in order to gain notoriety. He'd bide his time because he had it in him to be patient. Amano lacked that virtue, but he didn't lack wealth. Eventually, he realized he could pay Tenjin to eliminate the one person standing in his way…but he didn't always pay Tenjin back. Sometimes he couldn't afford to.

And now he didn't feel much need to do so anymore. The thing Tenjin wanted most could no longer happen, seeing as his son died, so where was the harm in Amano securing his future under a different candidate? Shimura Daichi was strong and less likely to go after Okami. And once Amano's old friend saw past his grief and stopped feeling as though he'd been betrayed, he'd realize this wouldn't be the end of the world. It wasn't like Amano supported anyone close to _Hashirama,_ so…

"Lord Amano." Kozue's silhouette was visible from the open door. Both of Amano's children waved at her excitedly. "Lord Tenjin is here."

' _And now we're going to have a long, uncomfortable conversation about loyalties and allegiances.'_ The Hyūga head ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. "He's not alone, is he?" She didn't answer him. "How many, Kozue?"

"…four. And he isn't leading them. I have made your guests comfortable in the parlor and put on some tea for them. They're waiting for you." This grew stranger with every statement. "Do you want me to look after the children while you talk?"

Somehow, that felt like the best thing for everyone. "Please." He didn't want either one of his children to watch this, knowing just how hot-tempered the Uchiha Clan could be. Amano's friendship with Tenjin lasted for seventeen years. Now he could only pray it survived today.

"No." His son stepped forward, arms folded. "I'm not a baby anymore. I don't need Kozue to–"

"You'll do as I _say_ , Taiyō!" Amano growled. "Go." It took a few moments for him to calm down enough to step into the room with the composure a man of his status needed to carry at all times. "Tenjin, _old friend_ …you brought others?"

" _Are_ we old friends, Amano? I wonder…" It was the only thing the man had to say to him as he sipped his tea. Amano turned to see a younger Uchiha step forward as the obvious pack leader.

Strange. He wasn't one of Tenjin's boys. What was his name, again? Not that it mattered.

The man poured the whole pot of tea onto the ground, letting the steaming hot liquid soak into the tatami mats.

"Hey!" Amano barked. "You can't do that in my house! How dare you!?" He moved closer, ready to strike this bastard for his insolence, but the young lady in the group pointed her sword at his chest.

"Sit," she ordered, poking the sharp tip at the white fabric of Amano's kimono. "And show the proper respect to Setsuna- _taichou_. We _know_ what you did."

…

Four against one. He'd had better odds, but it didn't stop him from attempting to defend himself. Several branch Hyūga stood by and watched, too afraid to get involved in the fight. Where was their pride? Their _confidence_? The Hyūga were the most illustrious and affluent clan within Konoha borders and he led them. They needed to follow his every command with unwavering, unquestioning loyalty!

"Don't just stand there!" Amano barked, moving himself into the strongest stance he could. His byakugan was on, every vein in his face throbbing until he felt his head would split. "Help me!"

They did no such thing. The whole of them merely observed, all secretly feeling this assault was deserved. Only Kozue cared anything for the Uchiha whose demise instigated this confrontation. The others simply saw this as Amano's karmic comeuppance. Among the onlookers stood his sister-in-law.

Somewhere into the fight, he realized Uchiha Setsuna matched his every move. ' _Sharingan_ …' Even worse, the other two had it as well. Tenjin's wasn't on, at least from what Amano could tell. Tenjin merely moved around the den, glancing at all the fancy items. Like a cat, he pettily knocked a few things over, savoring the sound of broken porcelain and glass.

The trio came at Amano at all sides, turning his own techniques and moves against him in offensive mimicry. This was the Copycat Clan: a mob of mirroring mimics. "How _dare_ you come to my home and attack me in such a way! Don't you know who I am? How _important_ I am?!"

Setsuna caught Amano from behind with a strong kick to the kidneys. The Hyūga head doubled over in pain, knowing he needed a brief moment to recuperate. They gave him none. Keiko pointed her sword to his neck, demanding he get on his knees. "Nobody cares, _Amano-sama_ ," Setsuna growled. "We're here for Kaizen."

"You think he'd want you to do this?" That comment earned him an even sharper poke with Keiko's sword. It broke the skin, leaving scarlet droplets on the white fabric. "I don't understand what this is about! Tenjin? Tenjin! Why are they–"

"There's no need to talk to him. Tenjin didn't organize this," Setsuna growled. " _I did._ You had reason to want Kaizen dead, didn't you?" Setsuna intended to see this through to the end, even if it meant killing this man. "For daring to love a Hyūga girl?" Seeing Kozue bruised and battered infuriated him. In his eyes, she'd done nothing wrong.

They'd chased this case for days, trying to make sense out of it. Plenty of people may have wanted Kaizen gone, but Kazusa was right; Amano made the most sense. "It took you no time at all to side yourself with Shimura Daichi."

"Better Lord Daichi than somebody closely affiliated with the Senju Clan!" Amano explained as Setsuna grabbed him by the hair and dragged him down the hall. Tatsumi and Keiko both charged behind him, weapons at the ready in case their prisoner tried to make a run for it. "Tobirama? Mito? I chose Daichi because—please! Let me talk this out with Tenjin! Alone. He'll understand."

Setsuna's sharingan remained on, glaring right into Amano's soul. "That man is no longer your friend and our clan has no further love for yours. You disgraced his son at the funeral."

"HOW!?" It dawned on Amano now that Tenjin remained in the den, talking with the branch members. He touched Kozue's bruises with the care of a concerned father. Occasionally, he caught a glimpse of his fellow Hyūga glaring in his direction. He couldn't activate the seal on all of them and they knew it.

"We were told what your choice of flowers meant," Keiko announced, sheathing her sword. She then proceeded to beat him with it. "Disappointment? Is that how you see us?"

"I WAS DISAPPOINTED AT THE _SITUATION_!" But these people didn't care. He saw it in their scarlet eyes. They came here to feel important, to feel significant, and to feel as though they could avenge one of their fallen brethren. All he saw in them was unbridled, well-kindled hatred.

The beating continued, their bodies capable of copying stances and maneuvers the Hyūga Clan took years to perfect in mere moments. ' _It doesn't matter what I say_ ,' he realized as he felt Keiko's sheathed sword crack two of his ribs. ' _They came here to destroy me.'_

"Get up," Setsuna demanded. "Defend yourself, you sack of shit."

Was this what wealth did to people? Did it turn them soft and lazy, paying off others to do the dirty work for them? When was the last time Hyūga Amano fought in actual combat rather than a spar in his own dojo? He was out of practice, glutting himself on the village's luxuries and the finer things clan heads were entitled to.

"Get _up_."

Amano's lack of action, simply wheezing and clutching his battered body in his trembling arms, only enraged Setsuna further. If Amano couldn't bring himself to stand, then Setsuna would force him. "Where is your fighting spirit? I was told you were one of the biggest people on the Konohagakure Expansion Campaign. You must have been a strong man to do that line of work. Did power do this to you? Did it tame you, Amano? Why won't you answer me?"

All he heard from Amano were wheezing and whistling noises as the man gasped like a fish out of water. "Do you have nothing else to say?"

Only wheezes, apparently. That and the resigned, frightened white eyes of a man expecting to die at the hands of an old friend's distant cousin. The Uchiha Clan had been Amano's first friends in this village: kindred souls with a different dōjutsu. Tenjin was the first to accept him as an individual, not just the little brother of a brilliant man. They both started out as insignificant persons, but they built empires together.

Now Amano supposed he understood too much. Perhaps Uchiha Tenjin was never his friend. Perhaps he'd seen it ending this way from the very beginning.

' _But don't you understand, young man? You're being used. Tenjin will use you just as he used me and hundreds of others.'_

He wanted to warn the others. Even with these people coming at him at all sides, he wished to warn them. It didn't matter how many times Setsuna declared himself to be in the lead, Amano knew the truth. It's why he chose to stay silent and simply let it happen.

He fell, his back catching shards upon shards of broken glass when Setsuna hurled him into a curio. All the pretty figurines he'd bought in his travels as gifts for his wife cascaded down, pelting him to add further insult to his injury. Each one shattered upon hitting the ground.

By now, he saw only a few patches of white in his kimono. Everything else turned scarlet as he felt his body turn pale and weak.

…

"It doesn't strike you as _odd_ that both of the clan heads who supported Uchiha Kaizen have hit misfortune in the past week?" Mito felt angry, horrified by the news. "Nobody's seen Inuzuka Okami since at least yesterday and Hyūga Amano was beaten to a pulp in front of his entire family."

True, she didn't much care for Amano. She found him to be a pompous, arrogant man who put too much stock in his title as a clan head. That didn't mean the Uchiha Clan had the right to put the law into their own hands and beat him half to death over a perceived slight.

"What even triggered it?" It made no sense. "What reason would they have to do that _?"_

"Do they need a reason?" Tobirama sighed, slowly shaking his head. "The village is going to hell, Mito. If things like this can be permitted to happen on our streets while you're acting as regent, it leaves me wondering what sort of job you'll do as Hokage."

Ever since Sasuke and Kaizen died, Mito had it in her mind that the three remaining candidates should join forces and keep the village on life support…with herself still reigning as regent until the Daimyo stated otherwise, of course.

Daichi complied, honor-bound fellow that he was. Tobirama adhered to an extent, deciding it was best not to tell his sister-in-law that Okami's disappearance was by his order. Toka wouldn't say a word. Mito could keep on believing the Uchiha Clan was responsible for that, too.

Amano, though. That wasn't his handiwork.

Daichi did a damn good job of consoling the battered Hyūga head, but Amano was justifiably terrified of the Uchiha Clan now. They could still hear him in the other room, begging to have an order sanctioned to bar the Uchiha from ever setting foot on Hyūga property again. Tobirama could hear the indignation in every word and wanted to roll his eyes.

Amano was overly entitled: an overgrown brat. All the while, Daichi tried to talk sense into him, telling Amano the law only worked for barring individuals and that trying to do this to a whole clan was how feuds started. That sort of nonsense wasn't going to fly in Konoha. That was the whole point of having a village.

It didn't help matters that Daichi hadn't come alone. The Uchiha heiress and Yamanaka Osamu's cousin were with him…which was how Mito found out. Her pet Uchiha told her everything, apparently. The girl was panicked, horrified, and frantically begging for advice on how to handle such a massive screw-up.

In this one regard, Tobirama recognized the importance of Mito building a friendship with Uchiha Kazusa. With Kazusa as a new leader, friendship was the best way to keep a close eye on the clan and drag them deeper into the village's goals rather than keeping the Uchiha alienated. Being Kazusa's friend and someone she respected enough to ask advice from meant Mito would be able to groom the girl into the sort of clan head they'd need to keep the village from breaking into civil war.

It was why somebody as unpredictable and violent as Inuzuka Okami needed to disappear. Inuzuka Kariudo was Kazusa's age, not to mention a teammate and peer. Tobirama knew from experience what to expect from insecure teenagers thrown into positions of power, considering how much time and effort he'd put into the Yamanaka head. If Mito planned to do this with the Uchiha Clan, Tobirama needed to act fast on the Inuzuka Clan.

And since Kazusa came here, making it clear that she as a leader did not sanction such violence against Hyūga Amano (even if she had suspected him of playing a part in the death of the Uchiha candidate)…perhaps she could be rewarded.

"Internal affairs like this will destroy the village, Mito, unless we put a task force together to keep order. Do you agree with me?" But something bothered him. Daichi and Kazusa had Hanako with them. _Hanako_.

Hanako needed to keep her mouth shut.

"…I do." She understood the need. "You have a proposal, I presume? Daichi and his border patrol–"

"Are too busy defending us from outside threats to sacrifice any men to handle the problems within our walls. Whoever we pick, we need to make sure they'll work together with no old feuds or grudges. They must be loyal to one another."

"…agreed."

"And we need to select an elite group of shinobi to handle this. All the offenders we've seen lately have been top tier shinobi. Clan heads conspiring with clan heads, dangerous high-ranking self-starters itching at an opportunity to make names for themselves…"

Mito stepped closer, looking up at her brother-in-law with concern on her face. "You have a group in mind. The Yamanaka Clan?"

"No. Were I to endorse them in such a way, the whole of the village would accuse me of favoring them." They already made such crude and uncalled for remarks about Yanagi and himself. "The Uchiha Clan already tried to take the law into their own hands once today. Why not make it a more permanent thing, as a gift and sign of friendship between your family and Lady Kazusa's?"

…

"Tobirama knows." Osamu took a slow drag from his pipe and shook his head in disapproval. They were alone in the den tonight, only brother and sister, yet Yanagi curled up and turned to face away from him. In the dim lighting, he could still make out the trace of her spine from her shoulders to her hips. "Why does he know?"

"Because I told him," Yanagi murmured, refusing to look in Osamu's direction. Her neck still hurt, but she hid the bruise beneath a heavy layer of makeup. Osamu could be angry with her if he wished, but it wasn't only her. The three of them mutually agreed to eliminate Kaizen as soon as the Uchiha Clan announced one of their own wished to be Nidaime.

"Why would you do that?"

Osamu's voice turned so low with age that Yanagi felt her whole body shake with every word. When they were small children, they looked almost identical. Uncle Tezuka used to dress them interchangeably as one of his favorite mind games, intentionally calling them the wrong names in front of his more-hated guests.

They did it of their own accord sometimes, too. She'd taken Osamu's place at night a few times because he cried more. Yanagi merely pretended to be somebody else for a while and projected her mind to any welcoming void.

Osamu was once a small boy with delicate and girlish features. Now he was strong and large like their dead uncle and it terrified her. She felt his words and a cold sweat built on her pale skin because she sensed the rage building inside, let alone panic. Who needed to read a brain when a body talked this much?

Yanagi curled up, letting her head rest on her brother's chest. His heart beat far too fast. "If you have to ask me that, Osamu, then you don't know me at all."

She felt that overprotective strong arm wrap around her, refusing to let go. Always, he'd tried to protect her, at least so long as it suited him to do so. Ever since he took power for himself within their clan, he made sure nobody else would ever use or abuse his beloved sister…unless it was part of a mission he assigned to her. They didn't call her _Death's Consort_ for nothing.

Normal families didn't act this way. Yanagi knew that by watching all the others and felt tainted by her experiences. It was part of why she gave Hanako her own place to stay as soon as the girl seemed self-reliant. She felt disgusting inside, knowing herself to be terrible, and this was only half of why she came clean to Tobirama about everything.

She wanted his trust because she'd nearly killed him before and apologies were meaningless words.

The only thing that would make things right between them involved becoming worthy. So she hid nothing. Kaizen intentionally died by her hand using the same method she'd attempted on Tobirama, but only after she realized Osamu's assault-and-blackmail plan wouldn't work.

Her hope was that Tobirama would recognize her handiwork: he and he _alone_. Killing an Uchiha instead by that method, especially one who could ruin his plans of stepping forward to succeed Hashirama, was her gift to him. It balanced everything out, even if a tiny part of Yanagi pitied Kaizen in his dying moments. But she did this for Tobirama. He _needed_ to know.

"I think I understand _too_ well." He stroked her hair, moving it away from her face. "You love him."

' _Yes…'_ But Osamu didn't need to know the details. Yamanaka Yanagi saw no future where she could actively pursue this man, nor did she expect romance to ever be anything she'd want were Tobirama to even offer it. He wouldn't _be_ Tobirama anymore if he did.

But was it so wrong to want to dream of a future where he'd open up to her? Even if he married somebody else, had a family of his own, and loved another woman in such a way, she could be happy for him and didn't have to love him exclusively. She didn't want to be his wife. She didn't even want to be his lover.

Sex did not equate to love in Yanagi's world. It never had. Sex was something to punish people with or use as a weapon for the betterment of the clan and their closest allies. Sex and caresses in the echoes and mimicry of a wanted lover could break a person down to their foundation, terrifying them into absolute compliance. It served as nothing but a means to an end.

Intimacy was harder to define. _Intimacy_ meant leaving your soul completely bare to somebody else, trusting them to still love you even after they saw all the deplorable and unseemly bits. She had seen him at his darkest and yet she still remained. Surely he knew. Surely he noticed.

She'd accompanied him and watched his back in the distance as he spoke with bounty hunters, traffickers, and other black market contacts. He'd done the same for her before when she purchased her poisons and contraband for her research on brainwashing, hypnotics, and mind control drugs. Yanagi always made sure Tobirama came back in one piece. She even helped him take part of his brother's body so he could research Hashirama's cells in his private lab. And what did she do?

She didn't judge him for it because, truth be told, she was curious, too.

"Don't you?" she murmured, hoping he'd simply let her sleep. They'd been up all night. Couldn't she sleep through the day without having to see anyone? Osamu remained silent, which worried his sister. Yanagi turned around, finally daring to turn her gaze toward him. He wasn't amused. "What is it?"

"I love you, sister," Osamu whispered, giving her brow a kiss. "But if he _knows_ , then there's a good chance others do, too."

 **"You're too high profile right now. The Uchiha Clan doesn't believe Kaizen's death was a suicide, Yanagi. They're pointing fingers at Amano right now. How long do you think that's going to last?"**

"Hanako's not at home," he added. "The last time I tried to track her, she was running toward Uchiha Kazusa's home. Don't you think it's possible she outed you?"

"Hanako loves us. We raised her. We're practically her father and mother. She–"

"Shares a team with Kaizen's baby sister," Osamu interrupted. He stroked her face. Yanagi knew from experience her brother's hands were now large enough for him to only need one to strangle a child…or most women. And now that hand rubbed off the foundation to expose the bruise on her neck.

The hand stayed, forcing her to lift her head and lock eyes with him: stormy gray on stormy gray. Why was he crying? Why did he _weep_? And why did he apply pressure to the side and–

Too late, she realized her brother placed her in a sleeper hold, blocking arteries without blocking her airway. It wouldn't do permanent damage, but it rendered Yanagi unconscious in seconds. She went limp in his arms, noting the last thought to pass through her mind was in _his_ voice, not her own:

 ** _I'm sorry_**. **_Forgive me for what we must do._**


	9. Shimabara Lullaby

Chapter 8 – Shimabara Lullaby

 **Author's Note: There is some death and medical horror in this chapter, so proceed with caution if that sort of thing upsets you. Once you get to Yanagi's section, feel free to give this a listen: watch?v=mDA1GalnRJ0 It's Chieko Baisho's version of** ** _Shimabara Lullaby_**

…

Kazusa saw this as a gift to the clan: a special honor bestowed exclusively to them due to their prowess as an elite family. The building itself, located not very far away from the Naka Shrine, was under construction. It would be large, she noted; multiple stories of well laid brick and plaster. A worker painted the Uchiha symbol in the center of the teal shuriken he'd already etched into the front façade.

Mito had gone over the proposal with her a week ago. She liked it as much now as she did then, realizing such an organization served a very necessary purpose. Should the village continue without some sort of local law enforcement, the feuds would continue.

"The idea came from my brother-in-law, but we're in agreement. This is all for the best." Mito gestured for Kazusa and the team of Uchiha elite accompanying their new leader to step nearer the building. "Tobirama brought up a very valid point. An elite group of shinobi needs to maintain order within village borders, otherwise…"

"Otherwise the Yamanaka Clan can dance in people's brains with no repercussion," Setsuna interrupted, casting his glance toward Tobirama, who remained uncomfortably quiet. "Or people like Inuzuka Okami can attack high village officials and leave the scene with no fear of consequence."

Tobirama wanted Setsuna as a captain. It seemed contrary to logic, but he had his reasons. Nobody among the Uchiha would give their new leader as hard a time as Setsuna. The more animosity Setsuna bred, and the more the clan came to realize the village sided with _Kazusa_ …

The Uchiha Clan would get the message; Setsuna would therefore be the last one to mouth off.

"Or the Uchiha will have the mistaken notion that it's acceptable to attack the heads of other families." Tobirama couldn't let it slide, mostly because he greatly disliked this greater-than-thou mentality Setsuna carried. Sure, he bore no love for Hyūga Amano in his heart, but he knew damn well which one of these people attacked the man.

"For now, we request that this organization remain uniform in its operation. This means it's exclusively yours. With the various clans attacking each other and trying to incite nothing short of civil war, it made sense to do this." Mito hoped from the bottom of her heart that this would not be seen as a slight. It wasn't intended to be one. "It takes a very elite group of shinobi to keep the peace among shinobi. Do you accept?"

Kazusa stepped forward, feeling from the bottom of her heart that this organization would bring in a new age for her clan. It cemented them as essential for the village, performing a service no others could. "I, Uchiha Kazusa, accept my position as First Captain for the Konohagakure Military Police Force."

"And I accept my position as _Second_ Captain." Setsuna received applause far louder than Kazusa's. It didn't go unnoticed. "Do we have authorization from the ad hoc committee to go live with our role, or must we wait?"

Mito made it abundantly clear through her next words that immediate action needed to be taken. The Konohagakure Military Police Force received sanction to take action as of the end of the ceremony. "The building can wait. _You_ don't have to."

The rest of the event passed by as a blur. Multiple congratulations were held toward the Uchiha, wishing them the best of luck with this new endeavor. By the time Tobirama and Mito left, Setsuna eased closer to Kazusa and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Please tell me you're smart enough to realize they're alienating us."

"It was a _gift_ ," Kazusa hissed, narrowing her eyes. She felt this man laughing behind her and that only infuriated her further. She knew where this was going, considering her track record of receiving gifts from Uzumaki Mito and her family. ' _I dare you. I fucking_ _ **dare**_ _you.'_

But he didn't say it. Setsuna merely chuckled in that bitter, half-resigned way that left Kazusa seething. It meant he trusted no one, not even her. _Especially_ not her.

"Why do you always suspect the worst in people? Just because Tobirama _-dono_ doesn't care much for our clan, that doesn't mean there's a sick ulterior motive to everything he proposes. Has it ever occurred to you that we simply might be the best clan to choose? With our abilities, our _sharingan_ –"

"If you believe that, _Kazusa-taichou_ , then you're going to get us all killed."

Kazusa spun around, just so she could push Setsuna against the wall. The sheer force of her attack left him stunned into disbelief that she'd actually dare to raise hands against him. "No, _you_ are!" she hissed, shoving Setsuna for a second time. The back of his head bounced against the future KMPF central building's outer wall, leaving a crack behind. "For as far back as I can remember, you've gone out of your way to keep up this whole _us versus them_ mentality between our clan and the rest of the village."

"Not the village. Just the–"

"Oooooh. Just the _Senju_. I get it now!" Every Uchiha old enough to recall a time prior to the founding of the village seemed to hold that sentiment and refused to let it go. They held onto that hate as though it were a precious heirloom: one they feared would leave them as somehow lesser should they change their minds.

Didn't they understand the old ways were _dead?_ There was no point in keeping them anymore. "We co-created this village. Don't you think it's time we're shown the proper respect for that? How the hell do you propose we'll manage that if we turn down every offer the Senju make us in good faith? They aren't the ones alienating us, Setsuna. _You are_."

She lost count of how many times her fist swung at him, but he simply let her persist. Kazusa could hit him a thousand times, if she wished. It wouldn't wipe the smug grin off his battered face. He had her figured out better than she knew herself. Perhaps he wasn't psychic, but Setsuna carried greater foresight into the clan's future than any naïve girl ever could.

…

Konoha's future sat in his hands, all in the form of a letter from the Daimyo. He'd kept it secret for days, knowing the man intended to come four days earlier than he promised. Such behavior wasn't uncommon for his old friend.

' _I haven't seen you since I moved here. We've kept correspondence, but that is a poor replacement for your company.'_ And now, more than ever, Miharu was tempted to ask if returning to court could be an option for Homura and himself.

Sure, his son had plenty of friends he would miss. Koharu, Hiruzen, Danzō, Torifu, Kagami…but what good would those friends be in a moment of crisis? Homura would adapt to the move. He'd grow and become the same sort of Mitokado as his ancestors…provided Miharu couldn't shake the cloud of dread away.

' _I first came here because I wanted to see if Hashirama's dream would work. It does, but not at the capacity we'd hoped for. When we meet in person, you and I; I'll bare my true feelings to you and only you.'_ He'd sworn an oath to the present Daimyo back when the man was only a young nobleman and a second son. From adolescence onward, Miharu was his to command.

That oath was unbreakable, but Miharu had hardly been blind to the trend. Many clans joined long before the Mitokado did. It left him wondering just how many were personally recruited by Senju Hashirama, as he'd been.

 **"You would love the village," Hashirama insisted. "You** ** _and_** **your family. The position we're hoping to offer you is that of our in-house historian. I read your poetry and some of your stories–"**

 **"Which were based on truth," Miharu admitted, taking care not to upset the baby in his arms. He and his dear wife lost two daughters already to enemy clans. Hashirama's plan for a shinobi village could give his son an opportunity to interact with other clans without putting his life on the line someday. He wouldn't have to be confined to court life. It sounded almost too good to be true.**

 **"You see," the Mitokado man continued, "the Daimyo loves to hear about himself. I even write love letters to his concubines on his behalf because I do it better than he does." And sometimes it took one hell of a wordsmith to make that man sound** ** _remotely_** **admirable. "I'm assuming you're a similar sort of man?"**

 **Hashirama laughed until he realized this thin, delicate-looking man didn't do the same. "It's not so much about** ** _me_** **as it is the core beliefs we want everyone in the village to follow. Cooperation between the clans is on the top of that list. Yes, they appointed me as Shodaime, but I'm convinced our next Hokage will hail from a different clan."**

 **'** ** _You already have a name in mind, don't you? Not your brother?'_** **This struck Miharu as peculiar, but he chose not to pry. All he kept telling himself was this friendly, ambitious man approached him with an opportunity to change the course of his life and try something new and exciting. It sounded like a wonderful adventure. And, yes, he was convinced his wife would be on board for it. Touko had long since grown annoyed with the Daimyo, but she had enough sense to only tell** ** _Miharu_** **that.**

 **Other Mitokado would eventually follow once the lords and ladies they represented relieved them of their duties in the various feudal courts. Until then, Miharu and his family could represent and cement their claim in Konoha, showing the others it was a safe and good place to move. "How many clans does your village boast already?"**

 **Hashirama seemed to light up at the question. "A multitude! The Senju, Uchiha, Shimura, and Sarutobi families were some of our first inhabitants. The Akimichi, Utatane, Nara, and Yamanaka now call this place home, too. As do the Hyūga. We're negotiating with a few others, like the Aburame…"**

 **The Shodaime kept talking, each name exciting him more than the last. It was like listening to the Daimyo talk about all his favorite consorts and which families they came from. Miharu let him continue talking, privately relieved that one name** ** _didn't_** **come up in the list.**

 **"More of my kin will surely follow once they see how well you treat me," Miharu assured Hashirama. "You said the Utatane are there?" Perhaps he'd be able to visit his old friend and see the little girl she'd written about. Maybe it wouldn't be so unseemly to have their children grow up as companions after all. "I want to see this better world you've proposed."**

 **"Oh, you'll do more than see it. You'll help me** ** _build_** **it!" Everyone he personally sought out had a purpose and Hashirama knew from day one what he wanted out of Miharu. "Will you take account of the actions leading up to the founding? I want them preserved. I want them shared…"**

 **"Provided I have the Daimyo's blessing to go, that can be arranged. Just promise me one thing…"**

Not everyone who came to Konoha was a clan head. Miharu certainly wasn't. The Mitokado were so few in number and spread so thin that no one paid much heed to their actual leader (who, for the record, _still_ didn't live in the village). The old man became a figurehead seemingly eons ago. So long as the clan stuck to their code and paid their dues, nothing bad would befall its members. They'd be seen as dutiful, shining examples of filial responsibility.

They were, however, a clan famous for their emphasis on education and the arts prevalent in feudal court. The Mitokado often posed as scholars, poets, and officials and never struck the unsuspecting as anything else.

He refused to take action without the Daimyo's blessing, of course, and it was fortunate the Daimyo _agreed_ with Hashirama that sending Miharu to live there would be mutually beneficial.

And now the three remaining candidates realized what Miharu's friendship could allegedly buy. Winning over Miharu meant winning over the Daimyo because everyone knew Miharu had his ear. This was why he chose to keep the Daimyo's premature arrival a secret.

He felt used and there was no point in making his old friend feel that way, too.

 **For every Mitokado who managed to become indispensable to a noble, there was an Inuzuka assassin commissioned by a rival. Miharu and Touko traveled as a pair, oftentimes performing together. His works were put to music through her talents and she'd sing them as ballads for the entertainment of lords and ladies. Sometimes she would dance, too, and taught the Daimyo's many wives all the latest trends.**

 **She'd never do these things again.**

 **Three weeks after his first negotiation with Senju Hashirama, an assassination attempt was made on the Daimyo. The Inuzuka Clan sent a four-man cell to stalk and follow the noble family after a hunting expedition. They slipped into the castle without being noticed by anyone other than the Mitokado couple. By then, it was too late.**

 **Two against four were unfair odds and the Inuzuka squad leader was a wild, unpredictable** ** _monster_** **of a woman who mauled everyone in her path using nothing but her teeth and nails. Multiple servants got in the way, stalling for the nobles at the cost of their own lives. It gave the Mitokado couple a chance to prepare themselves for combat.**

 **"I'll handle this!" Touko already had her hands on their best emergency scroll. "Just make sure the Daimyo gets out alive!"**

 **…**

 **By the time the assault was over, Touko was a near unidentifiable pile of gore and torn meat. Only her hands remained recognizable. In that horrific blob, Miharu saw her long fingers, calloused by years of playing her assortment of stringed instruments. He saw the coral bead bracelet he'd given her as a wedding present still attached at her wrist.**

 **Wolves tore rabbits up like this and he felt every bit as terrified as one.**

 **"I can't stay…" he whispered to the Daimyo as a group of servants came to carry his wife's mangled body away. They couldn't put her on display, not like that. She'd need to be cremated. "I can't raise my son here…"**

 **…**

Coming to Konoha made him feel like the world's worst traitor. This man depended on him for _years_ , only for Miharu to turn coward and come here in the hopes of giving Homura a safer existence. A replacement shinobi filled Miharu's vacancy in the court, but the Daimyo wasn't terribly fond of that man.

He'd been loved and cherished by nobility once. Now he waited a few miles outside the village at their agreed upon meeting spot. Every few steps, he turned around and glanced in all directions, just in case he'd been followed. Tobirama was a gifted sensor. He could go unnoticed.

' _And he still has my child.'_

Miharu clutched the fabric of his cloak against his body and moved even deeper into the woods. Sure enough, the Daimyo and his small entourage beat him to the small clearing in the woods. "You're early."

"Aren't I always?" There were far handsomer men in the world than the man who ruled the Land of Fire, but one would never know it through Miharu's prose. It didn't matter that this man closely resembled a basset hound with his long face and droopy eyes. Miharu had assured at least eight different women that the Daimyo was the most attractive nobleman to ever rule the nation. It wasn't a _lie,_ per se, but it wasn't exactly the truth, either.

The Daimyo moved closer until he noticed Miharu wore a mask. "You're hiding your face, old friend? Is this a trap?"

"No, I–"

"Then let me see you."

For the amount of shame Miharu felt, the Daimyo may as well have asked him to strip bare. Miharu had always been a handsome man. Many women in the village had shown an interest in him for his looks, not that he ever pursued anyone. Touko was the love of his life. She'd never be replaced.

"What do you have to fear? This is _me,_ Miharu. It can't be–dear _gods_ …" It was exceedingly rude to stare, but the Daimyo did so anyway in disbelief.

' _Go ahead. Gawk. Stare. My face is a representation of how safe Hashirama's village turned out to be.'_ Miharu reached to put the mask back on, but felt his lord's hand reach for his wrist.

"You've never been afraid or ashamed in my presence before. Miharu, tell me…was it somebody inside this village? What happened?"

Miharu didn't want his face to be touched, but he also knew better than to tell the Daimyo what he could and couldn't do. His face felt hot with embarrassment. "One of the now-dead candidates had a _very_ avid supporter. You may remember her."

…

 **The instant he saw that feral-looking hag shake hands with Hashirama, he understood the Shodaime's promises meant nothing. The hounds of hell had come to Konoha and there was nothing he could do to dissuade the Shodaime. It meant he'd have to welcome his wife's murderer and show her the proper respect in public, never daring to take action against her for fear of disturbing the peace.**

 **Peace indeed. It felt more like a ceasefire.**

 **Inuzuka Okami joined as part of the Konohagakure Expansion Campaign, meaning she'd contribute greatly to the village's growth. She and her new colleagues would gift Konoha with land for as far as the eye could see. They'd take it by force, and Miharu would be the one to write careful euphemisms so future generations saw these people as pioneers rather than glorified brigands. He'd have to soften the blow of his prose for his bitterest enemy.**

 **'** ** _In times such as these, it's no wonder to me that some of the leaders are contemplating their departure.'_**

 **"You don't fancy the Inuzuka Clan, do you?" Miharu turned around to see the man who spoke was none other than the Shodaime's brother: Senju Tobirama.**

 **"Sorry. Did you want something?" Everyone did.** ** _Hashirama_** **wanted stories and legends. Surely the brother wanted something too.**

 **"I'm merely curious. Did this anger you enough to contemplate going back to the Daimyo?"**

 **"I feel my work has become too important to both sides for me to toy with such notions." Miharu felt more alone than ever, as though the one person left in his life he could trust was his little boy. Homura loved it here. It would break his heart to leave. "You have mocked me before, saying prose and lyric don't win wars. You're right** ** _,_** **but…"**

 **He could create anthems. He could convey Hashirama's wishes in ways that excited and enthused those who lived under this banner. They admired him now. Miharu's words would give them cause** ** _to_** ** _love_** **him.**

 **'** ** _A man who breaks his word. A man who can't keep promises. Loved. Eternally…'_**

 **"Hold it in, then. Bite back what you feel and accept that this is the new order of things. This probably isn't what you wish to hear, but my family carries old grudges toward another and both of us reside in this village. Put it aside."**

 **"I can't. My wife was–"**

 **"And if you** ** _can't_** **, it's all the more important you solidify your claim here with as many friends in as many places as you can manage."**

 **…**

"It's a hornet's nest," Miharu confessed. "The body count keeps climbing. My child's been dragged into this mess. I know it will end when we name a Hokage, but I'm genuinely concerned for your safety. You shouldn't have come. You should have written. You–"

"You are _most welcome_ in the village."

Miharu's blood froze. Before he even turned around, he knew the voice. This was what he tried his best to prevent: a candidate now knew of the Daimyo's early arrival…and that candidate was Tobirama.

…

"It's more than a gut feeling, Setsuna. I know it to be the truth!"

But was she so sure? _I saw it in my dreams_ wouldn't stand as a valid answer were anyone to ask her how she came to suspect somebody with as high a stance in the village as Yamanaka Yanagi. Kazusa knew that, but Hanako wouldn't lead her wrong. She wasn't that kind of person.

Setsuna, her co-captain, sat with her in the incomplete building. They could still see the bright sunlit sky hovering above them along with the wispy cotton ball clouds. She used to imagine animals in the clouds: fluffy and fat things that reminded her of a long lost four-legged friend. Ever since she'd taken charge, that same aforementioned friend became Setsuna's best means of guilt-tripping Kazusa into second-guessing her every move.

No more.

She didn't doubt Mito's earnestness and sincerity. The KMPF was a good intention and served an essential purpose. Why couldn't Setsuna see this? Why did he always have to resist?

Why did this man have to be a perpetual thorn in her side: belittling and undermining every accomplishment she'd made in her life? What would it take to work together without this great divide?

 _Marry him_ , the clan insisted. They all treated Setsuna as if Kazusa already selected him. She wouldn't. Not in a million fucking years.

"How do you know? Because _Hanako-chan_ showed you in your dreams? Sure, Kazusa. That's damning evidence. Perhaps I should continue to operate this without you until you grow the hell up. You're only a girl. You aren't even an _adult_."

She'd get in his face. She'd yell and pitch another tantrum like the hotblooded brat everyone believed her to be. It wouldn't get her anywhere. Setsuna had seen her do this thousands of times over the past seventeen years and didn't fear her in the slightest. Nobody in the Uchiha Clan would.

"Why are you so inclined to believe her, Kazusa? Ever since the Shodaime died, the Yamanaka Clan has waged psychological warfare on the entire village. It doesn't strike you as odd that one of them would change alliances and confide in you?"

' _No. It isn't strange to me because I've known Hanako my whole life!'_

When they were little girls, Hanako was the happy-go-lucky girl who used to play dolls and makeover with Naho. They'd dress each other up like princesses and plead for Kazusa to join…but only if she played a wicked witch or something the boys could rescue them from.

Not every girl had it in her to be a princess, Hanako pointed out. That was meant for the beautiful and the charming, but so what? Hanako was also the one to point out that the _other_ girls didn't need to be rescued. After all, who was the strongest lady in any fairy tale? Who had more _fun_? The witch!

Hanako helped her realize she wasn't a princess by being an heir apparent, but rather a dragon's daughter. A dragon could burn everything in its path, but it could also protect what it valued far greater than any human ever could. And, like a dragon, Kazusa would stand up against this arrogant and self-righteous man who dared to call her wrong for following her heart. Hanako had no reason to lie.

"Hanako loves Lady Yanagi. She wouldn't make up lies about her. This is the truth. Setsuna, I _felt_ it. I know what Kaizen's final moments were like." Her neck still hurt just thinking about it. "You have something else you want to say to me, don't you?"

"Amano was your idea," Setsuna pointed out. "You made it sound like he could very well be our guy. We made fools out of ourselves following your gut before."

' _I never commanded you to beat him senseless. You did that on your own. That's on you.'_ She kept such commentary to herself. "Fine. Then tell me you _don't_ see it as a possibility. You said it yourself; the Yamanakas attacked everyone." Surely he couldn't refute that. "They're long-time friends of Senju Tobirama, who–"

Why did he laugh? What was so fucking funny?!

"I'm your co-captain, god _damn_ it!" Not to mention his leader. He knew that, right?

Setsuna's sharingan was on, gleaming back at Kazusa in its incarnadine hue. "If a squad and I go out there to pay Yanagi- _sama_ a courtesy call, will it satiate you enough to shut you up?"

Kazusa shook her head and released her hair from its braid. It had a mind of its own: so long, dark, and chaotic. She'd lost earrings in there before and it took two days for her to find them again. "You need to stop thinking about it in such ways, _co-captain_. Are we going to make this work?"

"It's worth a shot, I suppose."

"Then we do this together and we come with a warrant."

…

"I apologize for the slight mess. We were expecting you a few days from now." Tobirama bowed, showing the proper respect before the Daimyo. A private estate was put aside for the man's visit in neutral territory. The whole of the village was allegedly "neutral," but the Daimyo's guest lodgings required being placed in an area where no one clan would feel slighted or overly praised for having the man too far or too near.

Miharu was a godsend for this sort of petty political bullshit, always paying attention to every minute detail of etiquette and neutrality. It was something Tobirama still admired in that man, though he felt he'd only seen Miharu at his worst as of late. One assault from an old enemy was all it took to put him into full panic mode, apparently.

"I am sure you will find my cousin to be a well-equipped guard and hostess." With Hashirama gone, Toka was his closest relative and therefore closest confidante among his kin. Mito was too ambitious to be trusted, and Tobirama doubted her capabilities as a kunoichi. She was so far removed from that world…just like this terrified man who kept silent the entire return to the village. Miharu took his cloak off, but Tobirama noted the mask remained on.

"I can get you whatever you need, sir." Toka gave a polite bow before the lord of the Land of Fire and offered her hand. "Tobirama tells me you and Lord Miharu have known each other since you were young men. Please, tell me about that…"

The rest of the conversation wasn't worth hearing, seeing as the door closed and Toka (an _avid_ Genjutsu enthusiast) had this defenseless nobleman all to herself.

' _You may as well have placed a Yamanaka to guard my old friend…but you have those, too, don't you?'_ Before Toka closed the door, the Daimyo's eyes met with Miharu's. ' _He wants to know if he's safe.'_ And yet he was too afraid of his uncertainty to reassure the man everything was fine. How did he know? He wasn't going to lie, not to someone he admired this much. ' _She won't kill him. He's too valuable._ '

"Miharu." Tobirama's voice made the smaller man freeze up. "Your mouth must be feeling better." Miharu said nothing as he walked deeper into the village alongside this large, white-haired man. "…considering how often you've used it lately."

' _Do you have any idea how much you sound like Tenjin when you talk like that?'_

Uchiha Tenjin could hide himself behind silk shirts, pretty gardens, and big houses all he liked. Miharu _knew_ who Okami's keeper had been. He suspected his mutilated face was originally Tenjin's idea. Okami wasn't creative enough. He was the sort to invite himself into a man's house, have his sons poke around and break a few items, and insinuate it could be _so much worse_ if that man didn't follow through with his requests.

Tenjin was a thug at his core. Tobirama, though…? Miharu didn't want to believe such things existed in Hashirama's brother, but here they were: alone.

"Your son misses you. I'm sure Homura will be glad to hear you're out and about. Do you want to see him?"

Did he even have to ask!? Tobirama had no children. He wasn't married, nor had he ever been. This was a kind of deep dread he'd never experience, so Miharu doubted his ability to empathize. And yet Tobirama knew how much Homura meant to his father.

Homura was the center of Mitokado Miharu's universe: his pride, joy, and reason for waking up each morning to face another day. The man suffered from occasional bouts of deep depression, especially near the death anniversaries of his wife and two daughters. His son kept him going.

Everything Miharu did, every two-faced friend he tolerated, every broken promise he forgave… _everything_ was to secure a solid future for Homura.

"I was worried when he didn't write…or visit…" It wasn't lost on him they'd taken the long way back to Tobirama's home. Back alleys no longer felt safe, and yet Miharu continued to follow. Perhaps Okami was right in calling his clan a family of pussycats.

Tobirama rolled his eyes, grumbling a few choice words under his breath. "I never barred you from visiting my home. You could have visited your boy at any time."

Homura was perfectly safe and free to come and go from the house, so long as he joined the company of at least one friend. This was the promise Tobirama made to the boy's father. He didn't forbid Homura from contacting Miharu; but merely insinuated that the poor man needed to rest and recover…that Miharu would reach out to _him_ when he was ready.

But he knew Miharu far too well to know he wouldn't actually _do_ it. Even the slightest hint of favoring one candidate over the others (such as visiting a household) would be misconstrued as an endorsement and give cause for people to think Mitokado Miharu's favor (and therefore the Daimyo's favor) could be bought.

"You have nobody to blame but yourself. Homura was never my prisoner."

Miharu felt like one, realizing too late they were in a back alley. When Tobirama came closer, the Mitokado man grimaced and cringed out of instinct. Too late, he felt the wet warmth trickle down his jaw. A thin stream of blood leaked from the bottom of the mask.

It reopened. Were he to shout or scream, the damage and pain would only intensify. Miharu touched the porcelain covering his face. Even with it on, Tobirama felt he knew full well what sort of expressions Miharu made underneath.

"What kind of a monster do you think I am, Miharu?" Nothing but agonized, heavy breathing came in response. _Terror_. He knew the sound. "When did you become so afraid of me? Did I ever threaten you? I'm your son's sensei, for heaven's sake."

' _WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING_ _ **RIGHT NOW**_ _?!'_ Miharu wanted to shriek at the top of his lungs. That or fight back, but he didn't have it in him anymore. He was too old, too out of practice, and too scared. "You…you…"

The mask came off, but not of his own accord. Miharu yelped in fright, staring up at Tobirama with eyes wide open. Even more sutures snapped. The "grin" would be permanent now, Tobirama supposed. What a pity.

"The next time you have a problem or suspect me of doing something terrible, grow a pair and tell me in person. Running to people like Daichi…it doesn't look very _impartial_ , does it?"

…

How long was she out? With no windows nearby, it didn't matter how dim or bright the room was. It could be noon or midnight and Yanagi wouldn't know the difference.

 ** _The Uchiha know what she did…power of arrest…_**

She still hurt from where Osamu choked her earlier. Sleeper holds were a dirty trick and one Yanagi didn't appreciate her brother choosing to use on her. It brought up bad memories she'd intentionally warehoused away in a mental compartment where she pretended those atrocities happened to other people. Sometimes she couldn't distance herself. Being touched brought it up all over again and her neck ached.

She'd half expected to wake up in a bed or on a futon with the sheets and her garments in disarray. Either that or she'd see her brother curled up beside her, staring in that cracked and concerning way that never failed to creep her out.

Osamu didn't sleep. He took things to _prevent_ sleep.

Sleep wouldn't kill him. If anything, Yanagi couldn't help but shake the feeling a decent night's rest would remove most of the anxiety and paranoia that now governed Osamu's life. Nothing was stupid enough to grab him in his sleep anymore. He was strong and dangerous and too ghastly for anything to be bold enough to try.

A part of her wished she'd woken up to find herself in Mito's home, sleeping on the floor alongside her friend. When Hashirama went off to battle in the earlier years, Yanagi made a habit to come by and check on the redhead. If she spent the night under the same roof of somebody close to her, she could share a dream at night. She could meet the loved ones lodged deep into memory and treat herself to something far nicer than her own private _rêves_.

…not that she'd been able to do that with her old friend since Mito became a jinchūriki. Mito was a courteous companion. Tobirama didn't much appreciate it when Yanagi attempted such things with him.

 ** _…can't justify keeping her here._**

 ** _…they'll know…_**

 ** _The VILLAGE will know…_**

 ** _It's all going to come back on us. On the Yamanaka Clan…_**

Her nose itched. Instinctively, Yanagi attempted to scratch it, only to realize something that forced her to abruptly snap out of the trance and scream at the top of her lungs.

She was in restraints.

All the lights turned on abruptly, causing her to grimace and quickly shut her gray eyes. Bright lights and loud noises gave her terrible headaches. Thick, heavy footsteps caused the stairs to groan under pressure. ' _I know you're upstairs, Osamu. I_ _ **know**_ _.'_ But he wasn't alone. Half the clan was up there.

Too many brains talking at once made it hard to pinpoint a single thought, considering each one thought of _her_. Every time Yanagi's name or presence came up in a brain, she bounced there out of instinct. The few snippets she caught were enough to scare her even further.

 ** _She can't talk. She CAN'T talk!_**

 ** _Silence her._**

"Ah. It's good to know you're awake, Yanagi _-sama_." The stairs continued to groan. From her location, Yanagi caught sight of a large, pudgy silhouette. She recognized the voice before she even saw his pale, round face. Inoru was a third cousin who specialized in medicine, especially–

' _Osamu wouldn't dare!'_

She was more than his only remaining sibling. They were _twins_ : two halves of the same soul! "You have ten seconds to take me out of these restraints, you fat pig."

Inoru did no such thing. He placed his medical bag on a nearby table and moved to wash his hands in a bucket of water, never saying a word to Yanagi. She could see the steam rising as Inoru carried it closer.

"Don't," she warned him. He paid no heed and poured the entire contents onto her, watching her thrash and writhe around in an attempt to pry herself away from the near-scalding water.

Her legs kicked until her ankles bruised and turned the same shade of violet Osamu loved to wear. She could scream, curse, swear, and yell all she wished. These orders came from Osamu and every strong mind in the clan remained upstairs: ready to take Yanagi down if she tried anything.

Inoru opened the bag and pulled out a series of tools Yanagi recognized immediately. She'd already figured out where this was going, considering she and Inoru both experimented with this procedure multiple times in the past, but–

 **…brains talk.**

He held her head in place as he took a straight razor to the side of her head, separating long blonde hair from the scalp. Yanagi growled further threats at him, but Inoru tuned her out. Osamu apparently couldn't, though, considering he chose to come downstairs. "Sir, you really shouldn't–"

"Make him _stop_ ," Yanagi pleaded. As hot as the water had been a while ago, the room was cold. She shivered. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Osamu moved closer, gesturing for Inoru to prepare for the procedure. She felt her brother's hand on her naked scalp, his thumb stroking the exposed part before he eased in to kiss it. His lips were soft, but the bristle from his beard stubble felt scratchy and rough. A body was just a body to them. The brain was everything. This was as close and intimate as he'd ever be able to get to what made Yanagi _Yanagi_ and he wished to kiss her mind goodbye.

"I am so sorry," he whispered into her ear. "But–"

"I don't need an apology. I need a _reason!"_

"I'm sure you caught some of it upstairs. The Uchiha Clan received sanction to act as an internal police force for the village. They have the power to make arrests."

"Tobirama wouldn't–"

"Tobirama _sanctioned_ it. Just earlier, Uchiha Setsuna and Hanako's little friend came by. We have orders to hand you over by sunrise." To the Uchiha. To a sea of sharingan who would do all in their power to pick her apart. "I saw what they did to Amano when they suspected _him_. Yanagi, I can't–I…"

' _There truly is no way for me to make you change your mind. They'll come for me. And you would maintain our silence at all costs, even if you have to destroy me in the process?! You sad, disgusting,_ _ **insignificant**_ _little man…'_

"Even if you _don't_ crack under interrogation, they have grounds to execute you." Another kiss to the scalp. "You know as well as I do that dead heads can still talk. This is the only way I can keep you alive, Yanagi. Say you understand that I'm protecting you."

' _To hell with you. Going after Kaizen was your idea. I did_ _ **everything**_ _you asked of me, Osamu! I protected you for all these years and for what? For THIS?! FOR–'_

Inoru took action, begging for Yanagi to keep talking as he "operated." She felt every cut, every scrape, every attempt to crack open the skull so Inoru could turn her into a living shell. Her head felt like it was on fire.

"It's going to haunt me forever if you don't understand why I'm–"

"Be haunted, then," Yanagi hissed between her yowls of pain. "When he's done with me, I won't understand anything."

Osamu turned his back on the procedure, feeling too sick to watch. Inoru instructed Yanagi to recite something for him, just so he would know when to stop.

" _Odomya shimabara no, odomya shimabara no…_ "

What came next? She knew all five stanzas. She'd sung all five for Hanako. She sang to Osamu when they were young, but all that came out again was the first stanza. " _…odomya shimabara no…_ "

 **I can't hear her anymore.**

 **She's singing.**

 ** _Something_** **sings, but I can't hear** ** _Yanagi._**

"Give me another line, Yanagi- _sama_ ," Inoru prompted, but Yanagi couldn't deliver.

Her lips moved, the tune remained, but all he heard was that same line again and again. She whimpered and cried like a little girl, babbling frustrated nonsense.

"Come on, sweetheart. It's just a song. Just _one more line_ …"


	10. Cracked Foundation

It unnerved her how used to this treatment she'd become. With every meeting, inevitably, all eyes turned to her with judgment and disapproval clearly etched within. If she opened her mouth to propose the clan's next action, somebody heckled in the back.

' _Face it, Kazusa,'_ she noted to herself. ' _Until you show them that you're willing to put your life on the line for the sake of the clan, this will continue.'_

Even then, that felt too optimistic to be true. This clan-wide loathing could carry over for her entire tenure as clan head. Her future could very well mark her as the most unpopular leader the Uchiha ever followed.

They had greatly loved her father and seen him as a great man. They understood his sacrifices, but saw no such things in his child. All the Uchiha saw was an uncertain girl who never knew the hardships of the warring states era: a pampered creature who grew up knowing nothing other than village life. Beyond that, they saw her as somebody Uzumaki Mito in particular could manipulate. Kazusa could have been named Hokage for all they cared. It wouldn't make her any less of a Senju sympathizer.

"What do you _mean_ we can't take any further action against Yamanaka Yanagi!?"

Of all the people she could hear speak in animosity against her, it _had_ to be Naho. Kazusa felt ashamed upon hearing all the grief in her best friend's voice. Naho had a reason to be angry. Her whole _family_ earned that right, considering this bad news related to her eldest brother's death.

"I thought the village authorized us to act as their Police Force. If you're going to back down _this early_ , Kazusa, then–"

"This one isn't Kazusa _-sama's_ fault." _This one_. Setsuna stepped forward, taking his place right by the young clan head's side as though he already belonged there. "She–"

' _I don't need you to defend me! If this is how they're going to be, then so be it. I won't back down and cave in just because they're upset.'_ They had a right to be disappointed, but it wouldn't change anything. "Our hands are tied on this, Naho. Do you know what they did?"

"Aside from murder my brother and make it look like a suicide?" Naho's voice came out as hoarse and harsh as a blackbird. She couldn't raise her voice too loud after exhaling so many blue flames. Nobody in her line could shout anymore without risking internal bleeding at the trachea.

By now, every Uchiha spoke in whispers and murmurs, turning to each other to figure out where they stood on this matter. If they had this new authority, then why couldn't they use it where it really counted?

"Do you even care about my family?" They all stared at Kazusa: Uchiha Tenjin and what remained of his brood of children. Akihiro, Masubi, Mitsuichi, Muraki…Naho. Every last one of them wore the same disapproving, accusatory glare. "If you care for us, for _me_ , then–"

"Naho, _silence._ " Setsuna did it again: jumping to her defense. He didn't need to do that. "We can't–"

"There's an active law on the books stating we can't arrest or charge the insane or simple-minded." She'd voice it herself. "The Yamanaka Clan isn't claiming Yanagi acted as a madwoman." She was too rational for such a title to stick. "When Setsuna and I showed up to make the arrest this morning, we…"

Gods. How could she articulate this? How could she aptly describe to the clan what she and Setsuna witnessed at Yamanaka Osamu's estate? "We gave the order for Lord Osamu to turn his sister over to our custody for arrest first thing this morning. That's not happening because–" Already, the uproars started. "Let me _finish_ , would you!? That sick bastard scrambled his sister's brain like an egg, just so we couldn't take her. Our hands are tied."

" _Legally_ , anyway," a man in the back of the meeting room murmured. A few people nodded their heads in agreement. Go figure; it was one of Naho's brothers.

"We're _not_ resorting to that, Akihiro!" She'd shut down anyone who even insinuated taking shortcuts for vengeance. "We're doing this by the book and following the rules because we're the village's Police Force now. We have to set an example!" If they acted like a brute squad, the village would never trust the Uchiha Clan. "I'm not letting the Yamanaka Clan off the hook so easily. I have a plan."

"Share it, then! We want to hear it!" Naho shouted furiously. "And if you do that thing where you simply ask us to trust you, then–"

"We can't go after Yanagi. That door closed the moment she was lobotomized. That does not, however, mean we're barred from making a case against Osamu _._ " The whole of the room turned silent.

"I can justify it. Pouring over the basic law set up in the village during the Shodaime's time, we have justifiable grounds for making an arrest. Yamanaka Osamu tampered with evidence. He failed to turn over an at-the-time _sane and mentally sound person_ to police custody when we requested it." It meant she could argue a case for Osamu harboring a fugitive.

Even Setsuna seemed dumbfounded that Kazusa would suggest such a thing. The way his mouth hung slightly slack in disbelief made it obvious no one in that room believed she'd take this route. "He's a clan head. Don't you think that's a risky move?"

"If we don't make the move, we'll be telling the entire village that clan heads are above the law. They _aren't_ , and neither is the Hokage…or our clan." And if she found out anyone in this room planned to contradict her, then there would be no further backing down in an attempt to pacify the horde. They burned her one too many times. "Love it or hate it; this is how we'll proceed. We're adjourned."

They parted for Kazusa, creating a path so she could leave their private meeting grounds first. It was her birthright and just as the Daimyo would officially announce their Nidaime Hokage soon, her acknowledgment as the official Uchiha head would come on the same day. Kariudo would do the same for the Inuzuka Clan, considering the recent death of his mother in a freak hunting accident.

Kazusa walked a bit slower as she passed Naho, locking eyes with her friend for a moment. Naho's eyes were red and puffy. The kohl she used to exaggerate her eyes ran, leaving gray stripes on her pretty face. It didn't go unnoticed how wary even those who supposedly loved her most appeared. Every last Uchiha made such faces at her.

"There is one last thing I wish to announce to the clan before I leave to arrest Osamu." And she would take note of which people came to help her with this task. "I have made up my mind on who I will marry…once I reach the age of majority."

Three years. She'd make them wait for _three years_. Now felt like as good a time as any to make them angry, considering they were all up in arms already. The murmurs and whispers began almost immediately. "I'll let my suitor know in private, but he's to keep the announcement silent for his own safety."

She didn't want another Kaizen on her hands. This gave her time to lie for now and choose in three years. There was no suitor decided at this time, but if the clan believed her, perhaps they would back off.

"And I say this because it's _not_ Setsuna. It would be bad form for me to wed a co-captain."

With that, she bid them adieu, noticing as she made her way to the stairs that Setsuna continued to stand right where she'd left him: stunned into disbelief.

The whole of the clan was in an uproar, ranting among themselves. Setsuna tried his best to quiet them down, but he was inclined to agree. What the hell _was_ Kazusa thinking, putting him on the spot like that? But maybe natural selection would work in their favor if that foolish girl was serious about placing the Yamanaka's reigning insomniac under arrest.

"That little girl is going to die." Setsuna turned around to find Tenjin and one of his sons. "Aren't you going to stop her? She's no match for Osamu."

Setsuna shook his head. "What's the point, Tenjin? You heard it yourself. I'm never going to climb to a rank any higher than that of her equal." And only for the force: this joke of a faction given to them by the Senju candidate and his Uzumaki sister-in-law.

He seethed inside. ' _Stupid girl. Doesn't she understand that they already see me as a more capable leader? I should have been chosen to inherit. I should have pleaded a stronger case. I should have twisted the elders' arms more to force the marriage.'_ But he wanted to think that Kazusa would select him of her own accord. "Why should I protect her when she's so inclined to self-destruct? In the aftermath–"

"You think it will go to you?" Tenjin shook his head slowly. "No, Setsuna. She made a fool out of you."

"Just as the Yamanaka Clan made a fool out of your family."

" _Speaking_ of that…"

Setsuna wasn't sure if he wanted to know what was going on with this family. He never trusted them. Tenjin always rubbed him the wrong way and after the incident at Amano's estate, he was more inclined to distrust him than ever before. What choice did he have, though? Kazusa wasn't a puppet he could control. That reckless child would–

"I trust your insight more than I trust Kazusa's. How certain are you that Yamanaka Yanagi had something to do with my son's death? Did we confirm her involvement?"

"…there's no doubt in my mind. It was her."

Setsuna disliked the way the older man looked at him. Tenjin made up his mind on some unspoken action. Setsuna wanted to ask, but feared what he'd hear.

…

"I didn't want to believe he'd do something this barbaric." Mito was livid, squeezing the bouquet of yellow roses so tightly in her hand that she felt the thorns break the skin. Hashirama had been considerate in that regard: always scraping off a flower's thorns before presenting them to his wife.

In most cases, she'd remove thorns from bouquets before giving them to others, including her daughter and daughter-in-law. Yanagi, though, was special. She always kept the thorns on for rose-like Yanagi: beautiful to behold but capable of causing great pain to those who rough-handled her. "She's his _sister_."

She wanted to know if the rumors were true. The entire village spoke openly about Yamanaka Yanagi being suspected of foul play in Uchiha Kaizen's death, perhaps more. The new Konohagakure Military Police Force didn't even attempt to keep their suspicions under wraps. The whole of the village needed to know the Yamanaka Clan was in the hot seat. At least the bad dreams stopped.

"I can believe it," Daichi responded, gesturing for the redheaded widow to give him a chance to free her hands of the bouquet. He wouldn't be any less of a man if he carried flowers for a woman. "I've known Lord Osamu since he was a youth."

"As have I!" Mito was on the emotional rampage today and ready to snap at the heels of anyone who dared to get on her bad side. "They were _children_ when they came to the village, barely fourteen."

The first time she laid eyes on the Yamanaka twins, she was taken in by their tragic beauty and their frail bodies. They were like a pair of waifs: in constant danger of wasting away if they weren't shown enough love and care. Mito's heart went out to those children, especially that sad-eyed girl.

In that first memory, Tobirama still had the bruise around his neck from where Yanagi possessed him and forced him to tie a crude noose. He told Mito about the utter disaster from Hashirama's attempt to negotiate with Osamu's lunatic uncle. Even Madara had a tinge of green on his face when the twins joined under the banner. He refused to shake their hands or even bow.

Mito was the first woman Yanagi ever opened up to. She saw a little lady who felt every bit as unfamiliar with this new world as Mito did. They bonded. As Yanagi blossomed into womanhood, they shared their goals and dreams: well wishes for the future kunoichi of Konohagakure. Of course, they hadn't always agreed.

…

 **"It's official, as of this morning. Our little ladies will have a separate program to teach them the feminine arts!" Mito's arms outstretched over the beautiful patch of land Inuzuka Okami generously managed to acquire for this exact purpose.**

 **The Konohagakure Expansion Campaign was in full swing, taking more land in all directions. The village would grow to the size of a city in their lifetimes. It felt attainable, but so did their shared dream. "I pitched the idea to my husband. He loves it. Our kunoichi preschool program has been authorized."**

 **"Preschool?" Yanagi's brow furrowed a bit, but at least she still managed to smile. She tucked some of her pale gold hair out of her face and laughed. "I didn't propose a** ** _preschool_** **with you, Mito. Why didn't–"**

 **"We don't want to alienate them from the boys in academy. It's groundwork they need to know ahead of time, right?"**

 **"Yes, but–"**

 **The redhead grinned and gave her friend a playful one-armed hug, pulling the tall blonde close to her. She caught a whiff of Yanagi's hydrangea perfume, savoring the delicate scent. "I'm working on him," she whispered. "I knew he'd say yes to a preschool because our little girl is around the same age as your Hanako."**

 **Indeed. She was one of the few who knew the dirty little secret about Osamu and Yanagi's "cousin." Mito kept that secret from everyone and paid the midwife handsomely to keep her mouth shut. What happened to her friend before the village existed needed to stay in the past and there was no point to condemn that child to scorn and shame, just because of who the father was.**

 **"Our girls will belong to the charter class. They'll learn to sew, dance, cook, embroider, arrange flowers, make music, sing, and how to carry themselves as** ** _ladies_** **."**

 **"It's a good start," Yanagi responded, but Mito could see the disappointment in her gray eyes. She sat on the cliff, letting her long legs sway back and forth as she kicked them about like a little girl. "But it's not everything we talked about."**

 **Yanagi's full proposal involved a side program for the more enthused girls that would last until their fifteenth year: around the time girls could become courtesans. The more advanced coursework involved training these specialized kunoichi in poisoning, mind-altering substances, how to get pregnant or cause a miscarriage when it best suited a long-term mission, and even how to seduce. "I suppose it was too much for Hashirama to think about."**

 **"It was too much for** ** _me_** **to think about at first," Mito confessed, "but I recognize the need. So long as men are men** ** _,_** **there's going to be a need. So…" She nuzzled up closer, chuckling. "How would you feel about coming over for tea later? We can celebrate and discuss who should be our first instructor."**

 **"…you." Yanagi didn't even hesitate. "It should be you. Give those little girls and their families every opportunity to love you."**

 **"But, Yanagi–"**

 **"I'll take over the advanced courses once they're approved. Is it a deal?" She held out her hand. Mito graciously accepted it, beaming as she shook. "I even have a few girls in mind."**

 **…**

Just as Hashirama had his core set of friends to help him build the Ninja Academy, the laws, the regulations and rules; Mito had her own favorite visionary in the young Yamanaka. Yanagi had so many ideas, so many brilliant and _feasible_ notions on how this village could train their girls…

And Osamu did what he did best: _ruin everything_. When Mito and Daichi came to visit Yanagi, both in disbelief that Osamu had it in him to do this awful thing, there was no greater proof of the Yamanaka head's depravity as the blank and dull smile on his sister's face when she opened the door. Yanagi didn't utter a word, but grown women weren't supposed to smile like that. No one over the age of _two_ should.

She repeatedly attempted to pour tea for her guests from an empty kettle and offered it. When Daichi refused, she cried like an infant until Osamu came to carry her into another room. This wasn't her friend. Her friend was dead, but her body was too slow to realize it.

"I'll never forgive him," Mito swore, hissing in angered air through her nostrils like a lady dragon. "Uchiha Kaizen committed suicide. Yanagi would _never_ –"

"Don't be blinded by your love for your friend. Hashirama made similar mistakes with Madara and it won't do you any favors to repeat the same folly. There's ample evidence of Yanagi's involvement. Do you think Osamu would have done this if he believed his sister to be anything other than guilty?"

Mito wanted to place as much distance from the Yamanaka district as she could. Were she to stay in there any longer—not that she wished to concern anyone—but the seal began to kick back and ache. That horrid thing she sacrificed herself to contain for the safety of the village knew her heart hurt. It smelled a weakness.

"Escort me home, Daichi- _san_. Please be a gentleman and don't tell me what she did or didn't do. It's moot now. My friend is…" Her cheeks turned scarlet and her eyes stung from tears. She buried her face into her rose-scratched hands and sobbed.

Mito felt so alone. All her other friends were secondhand from her husband. Yanagi had been hers solely. ' _Who else is going to care what becomes of our women? We were going to make this a more equal society. As Hokage, I'd rely on her more than ever. She…'_

Were Tobirama here, he'd coldly tell her to get up and insistently offer his hand. Daichi, at least, didn't. He merely stood there, averting his gaze because he didn't want to watch a woman openly weep, and gave her a moment to cry.

' _I'll stand on my own, then. I'll win the Daimyo's favor, prove myself gradually, and move the next generation of our women to my cause.'_

And if any lady within these walls could stand alone, Mito could.

…

She missed him so. On those long missions where Tenjin didn't have time to spend with her, Kaizen always stepped forward as the junior parent. Whenever Naho played with her bang snaps, gunpowder, and accelerants like the little arsonist-in-training that she was, Kaizen made sure she never burned herself.

Kaizen was the one to nurse her back to health after her botched attempt to master the family's _foxfire_ technique left her with that awful scar on her chest. Now the house population consisted of her heartbroken father and four remaining brothers…each of whom had a proverbial axe to grind either with the village, the Yamanaka Clan, _Kazusa_ , or some combination of the three.

Every member of the family offered food and incense to Kaizen's house shrine, but Naho was the one to remain on her knees. She caught the scent in her nose, savoring the burnt fragrance, and thought of her brother with every whiff.

"I wish to update you on what's transpired since your death," she whispered. "We're seeking permission from Lord Amano for Kozue to move in with us. It's a gesture of his undying love for you. We vowed to protect Kozue in your stead, even though _otou-san_ didn't approve of your relationship."

But that was alright, Naho supposed. Tenjin wouldn't approve of her secret relationship, either. "The house feels quiet without you. _Otou-san_ barely leaves the house. He just sits there, feeds his fish, and sleeps in your room. And now Kazusa tells me we won't be able to bring your killer to justice. Yanagi will get away with it."

Lobotomy be damned. All Naho saw was a woman who bypassed the law and would spend the rest of her days pampered and spoiled into oblivion. Destroying Yanagi's brain didn't make Kaizen rise from the ashes of his funeral urn like a phoenix. Nothing would.

As two of her brothers came to kneel and pay their respects, one on each side of her, Naho felt even more heartbroken than before. Akihiro glanced at her for a moment, offering a small smile in the hopes of calming her down. All he found in exchange were more tears from his young sister.

"I miss him so. Akihiro, I miss him so badly it _aches_. Were it I who died in his place, then–"

"Don't go there," Akihiro cut Naho off, offering an orange to the shrine. "He's gone. The only person who could correct that wrong would be the candidate our brother's killer tried to endorse." Akihiro didn't elaborate, but he cast a glance toward his youngest brother. Mitsuichi nodded in silence.

They had a plan in the works: one that would not only right the wrong of what happened to their fallen brother, but bring Yanagi and the whole of her associates to justice. Beyond even this, they sought to disqualify or eliminate all remaining candidates both for the _Nidaime_ seat…and for the _Uchiha Head_ seat.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself over, sister," Mitsuichi stated with a terseness that alarmed his sister. He'd always been the sweet one. "Just be sure to stay away from Kazusa- _sama_ today."

' _What are you planning? What do you intend to do?!'_ But she knew they'd do the same thing her father always did: keep her at an arm's length until she became essential. "You'll tell me when it's over, I assume."

"Naho…" Akihiro ran his fingers through his hair to tie it back into a tight ponytail. "You don't want to be an accessory to this. What we're doing has already been set in motion. Stay out of it."

But she already noticed what he carried with him: his arson kit. ' _Whose house do you plan to burn? Will anyone be_ _ **inside**_ _, Akihiro?'_ But he'd tell her nothing. He'd keep his secrets. "Very well. I suppose I'll be a good sister and wish you good luck, then. Goodbye, brother."

After Naho departed, Akihiro's attention turned toward his younger brother. "Do we need to go over it again, or do you think you understand your part?"

Mitsuichi took in a deep breath. ' _Masubi already made his way to the Archives, trying to find Tobirama's trump card jutsu. So long as nobody finds him, we'll be able to right most of the wrongs done against our family.'_

Masubi had the most interesting part of the three-tier plan, Mitsuichi felt, but he wasn't going to say it because he was younger and needed to respect his elder brothers. Akihiro and Masubi both carried seniority over him, but it felt nice to work together as a trio: as the remaining blood-born sons of the Son of a Thousand Fires. Sure, Muraki existed, but he was their brother by adoption only. This didn't concern him.

"Do you think the jutsu even exists?" Mitsuichi whispered, scooting closer to his older brother. "What if it doesn't and Tobirama simply _told_ everyone he could summon the dead so we'd fear him more?"

A low snicker caught in the older Uchiha's throat. "I wouldn't put it past some people, but Senju Tobirama? He probably kept it under wraps. Having a jutsu like that is a game-changer." But it did mean that if they succeeded, they'd have their brother again. "The _Edo Tensei_ is an abomination and a violation of every known natural law, but–"

"I know, brother. I know." Mitsuichi glanced at Akihiro's arson bag and smirked. "And you'll deliver justice today. I wish I could be there to watch that brain-scrambling whore and her brother catch fire. That would make our sister's teammate the new Yamanaka head, wouldn't it? One _our family_ could control?"

And the Uchiha had reached out to Hanako in this time of crisis. Even though she was oblivious to this plan and fully innocent, it wouldn't look that way. Hanako would be a fool to forget that. "But on the subject of clan heads, Mitsuichi; whoever finds our reigning idiot needs to silence her permanently. Kazusa's foolishness has gone on long enough. We won't be able to function as a clan with Mito's lapdog in power."

' _I understand, just as I understand that my role is perhaps the most important out of the three. Masubi's hunting for a solution. You're delivering retribution. I…'_ The mere thought of it left his heart a-flutter both in terror and excitement.

' _I get to take down Uzumaki Mito, Senju Tobirama, and Shimura Daichi in one fell swoop.'_


	11. Call to Action

"Thanks for sticking with me this whole time, Daichi- _san._ I can't begin to tell you what it means to me." Mito gave the man a weak smile. "There are few men in the village with as much honor and duty in their hearts as you carry."

"It's why I chose to run for the Hokage seat in the first place," Daichi admitted. "Every clan has their dark side, Lady Mito. Oftentimes you'll find yourself appalled and horrified by what you witness. Today, you simply saw how dark the Yamanaka Clan could go."

"And yours?" Mito kept walking at his side. "What deep, dark, dirty secrets do the Shimura Clan hide?"

"Well, we don't lobotomize people. At least we have _that_ going for us." He had a faint chuckle in his voice, but it died the instant he realized Mito wasn't a fan of gallows humor. "You truly wish to know? You're upset enough as is."

The redhead didn't back down. What a strong woman.

"We publicly mark our cowards by leaving a distinct scar on the face. Those who betray us with their words forfeit their tongue and those who eavesdrop on us forfeit their ears."

Mito nodded, taking in this information. "I see. And I heard the Akimichi Clan force their disappointments to feast on rotten food until their stomachs burst. Would your son know anything about that?"

Daichi laughed. "Danzō asked his teammate about it once. Torifu punched him." And then Daichi proceeded to give his kid a hard time about it, telling him that it's really rude to put your friends on the spot like that. "What of your clan?"

"The Uzumaki Clan can seal chakra away," Mito admitted. "The sealed person will never be able to use ninjutsu again, including an activated dōjutsu. I am willing to share such techniques with our new police force. We'll need to keep this village in check, even after a Nidaime Hokage is named." And yet she saw some hesitation on Daichi's face regarding something: either the police force or the Hokage position. "Daichi- _san_ …?"

"The Daimyo's already here," he admitted. "I found out through Miharu. Since your brother-in-law already met the man, it didn't take much to convince Miharu that it's only fair for us to do the same. I'm taking him out to dinner tonight."

"Miharu?"

"No. The Daimyo. I'll need all the help and last-minute lobbying I can get to go up against you and Lord Tobirama in this nomination. Still, in the efforts of keeping things fair, how would you–"

Mito stopped where she was, clutching her stomach. She'd carried three children to term before, but even a baby's kicking and pressing against her spine was nothing compared to this pain. Something felt as though it wanted to rupture.

' _It wants out.'_

She felt it in her bones and every tendon: the _Kyūbi_. Daichi offered an arm to support her, which Mito accepted with a muffled thanks. "Just get me home," she begged. "I don't feel well. I feel sick. I…"

Daichi only stopped for Mito to catch her breath whenever required. Something felt wrong. The heat of her hand felt beyond feverish. It almost burned. "The Daimyo can wait. I need to make sure _you're_ alright. Whether you're my Hokage by the end of the week or part of my council–"

"Oh, so I'm to have a spot in your council if you win? I'm flattered. You're a good man. Every Shimura man I've ever met has been a good man." Zocho, one of Mito's longest lasting friends in this village, threw his name in the running early on. The moment the whole village began to suffer from the terrible dreams, he withdrew from the race. "Zocho. Your father. _You_. Your boy…"

Daichi's face turned ashen upon hearing Danzō's name on that list. "I…did something to him not that long ago. I hurt him in a dream only to discover I did it in reality." He'd marked him as a coward: marring his handsome young face forever. "It's going to be a long time, if ever, before he forgives me."

Mito groaned in pain, feeling her heart race in her chest. She didn't mean to tune Daichi out, but something didn't bode well. ' _It feels wrong. Something's happening at my home.'_ And the closer she came to her old house, the more the monster inside her threatened to rip itself out.

She wasn't a sensor like Tobirama, but the thing inside her was restless. It didn't matter how much pain she felt. Anxiety trumped all and she needed to make sure everything was fine. ' _Don't break the seal_ ,' she kept telling herself mentally. ' _Hold it together. Stand strong. Calm down…'_

But it refused. The killer kitsune Madara once controlled kept attempting to break the barrier: furious and bloodthirsty.

' _I sacrificed my life to keep this monster within me; and within me, he shall stay. I'll coordinate with my servants and see if my seal requires further maintenance.'_ Better safe than sorry. Were she to be sorry, Konoha wouldn't have time to forgive her. They'd all die.

Another step and Daichi offered to carry her. "Forgive me. This is unseemly," Mito whispered into the man's ear. "I can still walk, I assure you…"

"There is a difference between showing yourself as strong and showing yourself as stubborn, Lady Mito. You're more stubborn than my son." He'd hear no argument as he knelt down to permit the widow to ride upon his back. "It's alright."

' _But it's not. It wants out. It's gloating and demanding to be released. I'm afraid I won't be able to control it if I…if I…'_ Mito's nails dug into the cloth of Daichi's shirt.

…

When this was all over and she successfully booked Yamanaka Osamu for harboring a fugitive, resisting arrest, tampering with evidence, and intentionally posing as a hindrance toward a high profile investigation; Kazusa would walk back to the compound with her head held high. She didn't need Setsuna for this. She'd take Osamu unassisted and show everyone that it was possible to do this _even by following the rules_.

This wasn't an attempt to win over Naho and get herself back in her good graces. This wasn't about appeasing Tenjin and his sons to keep them politically in tow within the Uchiha Clan. They weren't even on Kazusa's mind.

In her heart, she knew it should have been about getting justice for Kaizen and righting a wrong, but it wasn't. This insistent, headstrong determination came through because it gave Kazusa a chance to show her clan what sort of a person she could be. If nobody wanted to come along, it was their prerogative. She'd take mental note for later who was there…and who wasn't.

The Yamanaka estates looked so beautiful this time of year. All the plants were green and healthy, willingly surrendering the fruits of their labor for anyone who dared to pick them. Kazusa saw a series of tomato plants outside Hanako's little home and plucked one.

' _You still don't feel safe to come home, do you?'_ Hanako still continued to spend the night in Kazusa's home. She even offered to cook, clean, and do laundry in an attempt to be less of a burden. ' _But you aren't a burden. You've been a better friend to me lately than Naho's been.'_

When this was all over, she wouldn't forget that. She'd go out of her way to better appreciate Hanako. The Yamanaka Clan was responsible for so much hardship and sorrow in the past month, and yet it was a Yamanaka who ended it by cooperating with the Uchiha Clan.

Kazusa wiped the tomato off with a sleeve and popped the orange grape-sized morsel into her mouth: tart but slightly sweet. She could practically feel her toes curl from how delicious it was. The flavor erupted in her mouth like a bomb and the sides of her mouth curled into a grin.

Multiple Yamanaka saw her walking in her full police uniform. They stared, but nobody approached her. Quite the contrary. Many intentionally moved out of Kazusa's way as though she were a leper. ' _Yes. Be afraid. I know what your clan head did. He–'_

A hand tapped her shoulder. In surprise, Kazusa swung around so fast that her frizzy braid slapped the person's face. She heard the boy groan and swear under his breath. "Serves you right, sneaking up on me!" she barked. "Who the hell do you think you–oh."

Oh shit. He wasn't a Yamanaka, but a fellow Uchiha. Looking down when she heard something crack, Kazusa awkwardly realized she'd broken the poor guy's glasses.

He wasn't that much older than her, but he was short, thin, and kind of sickly-looking. "Aw, shit. I'm sorry, Sarani! I didn't see you!" She squatted down to help, but he waved for her not to bother. "Why did you follow me?"

Sarani put his face toward his glasses. One lens cracked bad enough to resemble a spider web. The other one was fine. "Aside from having nothing better to do? Your plan sounded exciting. I kind of felt bad nobody else came along to help. Not, er…not that I'm insinuating you _need_ help, Kazusa- _sama_ , but…" He cleared his throat, poked at the glass, and watched as several shards fell back onto the stone walkway. "Did you _want_ to go after Yamanaka Osamu by yourself, or–"

"Ssssssssh."

"Why are you shushing me?" Sarani scowled. "They're _psychics_. They already know why you're here. The fact you didn't even notice I was behind you worries me a bit."

"Sarani, you do search & destroy missions for a living. That's…" She didn't know why she wanted to argue with him, but she did. "So you're here to help me make the arrest?" He nodded. "Osamu's _huge_. You're…"

' _You're a runt, if we're being painfully honest. You're the same size as Kagami. You're an adult and he's a fucking twelve-year-old. Osamu's a bear and he's gonna maul you.'_

"Yes. I know." He didn't lose his confidence. "My skills have nothing to do with my size or my physical strength." Sarani smirked and pointed toward his eyes. Kazusa understood full well. Her impromptu companion was a Genjutsu enthusiast and even managed to put her under one on occasion. His other skill was one she very much lacked: _stealth_.

' _But what good is it going to do us if the whole of the Yamanaka Clan decides to help Osamu resist arrest? Nobody's safe anymore.'_ Coming here suddenly felt like a fool's errand. Even in the event Osamu didn't fight back, his kin could. ' _We're greatly outnumbered. What did I think I'd accomplish?'_

"You're backing out?" Sarani frowned in disapproval. "There's no need to do that. I have a suggestion, if you're open to hearing it."

"I'm all ears. I didn't get past _show up and arrest him_ , I was so mad."

"We tail him." It was that simple. "Once he goes somewhere away from the others, _then_ we make the arrest."

"He's a Yamanaka. He'll sense–"

"You. So if you're obtuse about it," _as you are with everything else in life_ , he wished to add but had the tact to keep to himself, "he'll only pay attention to you. You aren't doing anything illegal by following him. He knows you're coming. We'll tag-team Osamu and take him down together."

"Ugh. _Fine_." She folded her arms and huffed her annoyances out, holding her head high out of habit. "We'll do it your way." But as tough and no-nonsense as she tried to carry herself, Kazusa couldn't hide her smile.

"You don't think Hanako- _san_ is going to be angry that you're eating her tomatoes?" Shit. Just how many _had_ she plucked and eaten while they talked? The plant looked sort of bare now.

Kazusa chuckled nervously, trying to stroke down some of the loose and frizzy strands of her braid, but something caught her attention. "Sarani?"

"Hm?"

"Did you come alone? The reason I'm asking is…" She'd recognize Naho's brothers anywhere. Akihiro was the second oldest and the meanest one out of the entire lot. Kazusa had never much cared for him and the feeling was mutual. "Did Akihiro come with you?" For this, she wished to whisper, mostly because she doubted anything good would come from Akihiro leaving something in Osamu's back yard.

He had a gift, though, of taking one hell of a sensor to notice. Sarani hardly stood alone as a man of stealth and discretion. Still, it took a masterful eye and a lifetime of being Naho's best friend to recognize an arson in progress. Kazusa knew damn well what was about to transpire.

Sarani took a deep breath. "Oh, that's _bad."_ That was an understatement. "When that thing goes off–we're going to diffuse it, aren't we?" He couldn't take his eyes off the scene and wanted to know what she proposed. "Kazusa- _sama_ , there's other people in that house aside from Osamu. Yanagi's in there, too. I think I even saw Tobirama." He heard him yelling at Osamu, anyway.

Kazusa shook her head and took a few steps back. "It's too risky. If we touch that thing and set it off, we'll go up in flames and you know it. We'll make an arrest after Akihiro incriminates himself and not a moment sooner."

"It's already attempted arson. That's _enough_. You could charge him _right now_." So why did she hesitate? What sort of message would that send the village?

…

As they neared her home, Mito noticed the lights were on. It didn't strike her as peculiar, seeing as her youngest son still lived with her. She'd promised to look after a friend's little girl this afternoon, too. Now that the bad dreams were gone—and she certainly hoped the village's new military police worked up enough courage to reprimand the Yamanaka Clan for that dirty trick—the little girl slept peacefully.

"I'm watching the Akimichi Clan's little lady today," Mito whispered into Daichi's ear. "How would you like to stop in long enough to say hello to her?" The Shimura man said nothing, but he appeared to be mulling it over with some color in his face. "She's a rambunctious little girl. I keep telling her mother that she must be part Uzumaki."

Mito loved children. Her two sons and her daughter were the greatest joys Hashirama ever gave her. Now that some of her younger friends were having babies of their own, she wanted to be there for each and every one of them. The thought of all those innocent, precious lives made her swell with a strong protective urge. That urge dampened the pain the fox spirit put her through as he tried again to free himself.

' _This vessel is to be filled with love. If I focus on those I love the most, then I can keep the monster in tow.'_ Her children and her friends' children were the center of her life now. That maternal love would only expand when she became Nidaime.

And were it not in the stars for Mito to become Hokage, Daichi made it sound as though he had plans to place her in his council. ' _It's only a few more days. Then the nightmare stops. We're almost there. We'll pick up the pieces and move forward together.'_

"This is it, isn't it?" Daichi paused in front of a large, lovely estate with an impressive garden. "I don't know what I was expecting when my clan joined the village. Lord Hashirama was so loud and rambunctious at points that I half expected him to live in a tree house." Mito politely chuckled. "It shows how little I knew about him."

"No. No, I'm laughing because he, my eldest son, and my daughter-in-law were building one just before he passed. It's halfway done in the back yard. He–"

She paused. Something was wrong.

…

 **"I know you have some reservations about my marrying into another clan, but you're the ones who told me to follow my heart."**

 **"Yes, but…" Hashirama's brow furrowed in concern. "It's not like I'm saying she's** ** _not_** **a lovely girl–"**

 **"The loveliest," Morirama corrected his father as he draped a strong arm around his pretty blonde partner's shoulders. He leaned in to playfully kiss her cheek. She chuckled a little, whispered that he needed to quit, and swatted his hand away.**

 **'** ** _They're in love, alright.'_** **Mito's arms were folded. She worried about this for a long time. "Arranged marriages are still a well-respected tradition within the village's clans, darling. That includes your father's clan.** ** _We_** **were an arranged marriage."**

 **"That's right! And it wasn't the end of the world for us! Was it, Mito?" Hashirama laughed loudly, giving his wife's back a hearty smack, but Mito could tell in his eyes that he needed her to agree with him. They had to put up a joint front on this matter. If they didn't, their son would turn them against each other and do as he pleased.**

 **'** ** _You're a young fool in love, Morirama. You fancy this girl because you find her beautiful. Find someone a little more pure and wholesome, or she'll destroy you someday. That's what she was raised to do.'_**

 **"Mito? Hey, Mito…?** ** _Was_** **it the end of the world?"**

…

It wasn't the end of the world then, but it certainly felt like it now. Her daughter-in-law was face down on the ground in a pool of her own blood. Over a dozen kunai were lodged into her back. The little Akimichi girl she was babysitting bawled, repeatedly shoving her in an attempt to make her get up.

' _Is she…'_ Mito couldn't be sure, not from this distance, nor did she have it in her to run. All she could tell was that her daughter-in-law put up one hell of a struggle against her attacker. There were so many bruises.

A bright torrent of blue fire rushed toward them, splitting into two plumes like the twin tails of the infamous Nekomata of Kumogakure.

"GET DOWN!" Daichi shoved Mito out of the way and reached for his sword. "Grab the girl and run! Kick your shoes off if it'll give you more speed, but _leave_. He's–"

But the redhead hyperventilated. ' _That's one of Uchiha Tenjin's boys. I don't know which one. It doesn't matter, but my daughter-in-law…that little darling…'_ They were innocents in all this.

Since her daughter-in-law was a Yamanaka, Mito had first suspected her of participating in her clan's village-wide malice. Whether she did or she didn't, this sort of treatment wasn't right or just. She tried grabbing Daichi's shirt, but he'd already sprung into action, charging at the rogue Uchiha with all his might.

"What the are you doing here!?" the Shimura man barked, swearing under his breath when his sword was parried. Glancing up, he caught sight of a two-tomoe sharingan staring back at him. "Is she dead!?"

"No, but I don't expect her to survive for much longer. You see–" God. Why did he have to match _every single motion_ with those terrible eyes?! "That bitch's clan robbed us of the opportunity to lay my brother's spirit to rest. If no justice can be given to him by legal channels, then–"

"Then you'll kill a member of the Shodaime's family? You treacherous little snake! Does your _father_ know you've done this?!" The Uchiha's hesitance gave Daichi the opening he needed: slicing into the young man's right arm. Blood went everywhere.

The little Akimichi girl didn't realize the sort of power her screams had on Mito. Each one rang like a bell and nothing echoed in Mito's mind more than the sheer amount of danger the child was in. The breathlessness became increasingly painful and difficult to bear. Every time Mitsuichi made a move to go near the girl, Daichi came at him with the blade.

It hadn't gone unnoticed. Somewhere into their sword fight, Daichi noted that the girl had grown increasingly frantic and no longer stayed in place. She ran around, screaming her head off, only for Mitsuichi to catch up or block her escape. She was terrified.

"STAY PUT!" Daichi shouted the warning and did his best to avoid her every time she darted nearby. He didn't want to accidentally stab a child, nor did he want to give this unstable bastard a chance to take her hostage. "You'll get yourself killed!"

' _But she_ _ **isn't**_ _moving,'_ Mito noted. In reality, the girl never left her daughter-in-law's side. She continued to shake the woman, weeping and calling out for her. "DAICHI-SAN!" She shouted, catching his attention. "He has you in a Genjutsu! She never–"

It only took a split second to deliver a killing blow. Daichi's turned head gave Mitsuichi the opportunity needed to lodge his blade into the meat of the Shimura man's neck. The blow wasn't enough to _fully_ decapitate, but no human being alive could have survived such an injury.

This strong and powerful man protected the village from invaders and brought deserters to justice for seventeen long and grueling years with minimal thanks from his colleagues. Shimura Daichi fought against angry hordes of uprooted drifters and even went to war alongside the same older brother Mitsuichi came here to avenge. He'd saved Kaizen's life before, and now Kaizen's brother had killed him.

Daichi collapsed, neck cleaved, and fell to the ground. The body twitched, moving in spasms as its growing pool of blood merged with the unconscious Yamanaka woman's. Mitsuichi, injured but alive, panted for breath and staggered closer because he was determined to finish what he started.

The Uchiha placed his foot on Daichi's shoulder, using it to brace himself as he pulled his sword out and wiped the gore on the dead man's shirt. "One down…" he murmured, grimacing from the multiple lacerations and injuries his fallen opponent left as nagging, bleeding mementos. "You'll be easier. You aren't even–"

…

"AKIHIRO!" Kazusa's sharingan was on and in full gear as she charged after the older Uchiha. She had no intention of letting him get away so easily. Yamanaka Osamu could wait. Stopping a crime in public view, _especially_ when the criminal was a fellow Uchiha, needed to be handled as quickly as possible.

Akihiro jumped the wall and made his way into the wilderness. His long blue cloak billowed behind him as he ran on his badly bowed legs. Kazusa rushed in hot pursuit with Sarani on her heels. She didn't hear him when he moved, but she could tell between the two she had the sturdier body and stronger heart. It beat in her chest, but it didn't ache yet. It would take several more miles before it did.

It didn't take a psychic or a Yamanaka to understand why Akihiro chose to destroy Osamu's home. The whole of the Uchiha Clan was out for blood, his family in particular. He lost his beloved older brother. It made sense, but that didn't justify what he was doing.

' _Not legally…_ '

"Think you can trap him for me, Sarani?" Kazusa whispered. "I'll keep him in pursuit."

It would give her so much satisfaction to take Akihiro down; Naho's brother be damned. She came at him with the largest and hottest phoenix flower jutsu her body could muster, using the large and impressive orange glow as an opportunity to set a few caltrops on the ground.

Several trees caught fire, orange tongues sticking to everything. "The hell were you thinking, Akihiro!? I told you in the clan meeting that we're using legal channels to–"

A shuriken flew at her. At the last possible moment, Kazusa ducked. The tail end of her braid was a casualty. The blade cut a couple of inches off her hair, causing it to fly free in all directions. Sarani wasn't as fortunate. A shuriken hit the meat of his thigh and lodged in deep. He hit the earth, feeling a great deal of blood leave his leg. Were he to remove the weapon, the wound would bleed even more.

She'd never seen so much blood come out of a person in her entire life. Almost immediately, Kazusa felt panicked and wondered if Sarani would die trying to help her.

Akihiro moved closer, another shuriken in hand, and let a series of pale blue flames crackle and spark on his fingertips.

"What are you doing!?"

"Don't act so surprised. Clan heads are dropping like flies in Konoha these days. I doubt our clan will lose any sleep over your death. If anything, they'll rejoice. It's like you've gone out of your way to be a bad leader." He came even closer with murderous intent in his eyes. "We can't continue with a Senju sympathizer leading us, Kazusa. I'm sorry, but these are the wishes of my family and the rest of the clan."

"Nobody else wants that," Sarani growled, but he couldn't risk moving to fight with such an injury. That and Kazusa couldn't shake the feeling Akihiro's words were sincere. The clan _had_ been resentful of her position and doubted her abilities as a leader.

"Do what's best for the clan for once rather than what's best for you, Kazusa- _sama_. Die."

Sarani staggered to his feet, only to fall back down. Akihiro opened his mouth to speak and reached for his sword, but the blade never came. Kazusa launched herself at the man, knocking him off balance. With Akihiro pinned beneath her strong, large body as she pressed him to a sturdy tree trunk; Kazusa placed her hands to his throat and pressed down, rendering it impossible for Akihiro to breathe.

The choking sounds resonated for her. She recalled hearing such noises in that dreadful dream Hanako projected into her brain days before. It wasn't lost on her that Akihiro was Kaizen's brother. It meant he was Naho's brother, too, but that didn't give him a free pass to reshape the clan structure however he saw fit.

Sarani shouted something, but Kazusa didn't catch it. All that registered to her was the increasingly purple hue of Akihiro's face as she applied pressure to his trachea. The edges of his eyes turned scarlet, too, well beyond the sharingan. It felt cathartic: a great and welcomed release.

Sarani shouted again, this time louder. Again, Kazusa failed to hear what was being stated. Akihiro managed to stab Kazusa's side with a kunai, but it caught the flak jacket more than it caught her body. "I'm not going to kill you," Kazusa decided as Akihiro wheezed. "I don't want to make killing my comrades a habit, but you aimed to destroy me. That, I can't allow."

Akihiro grabbed onto the collar of Kazusa's vest, trying to pull her closer, but he fainted from a lack of oxygen. Passing out was the end goal, not death. Kazusa carried every intention of dragging Akihiro back for interrogation and prosecution.

It went beyond the Uchiha Clan. It went beyond an attempt on her life. He'd originally come out here to burn down the house of another clan's leader. ' _You'll ruin the actual investigation pulling stunts like this, asshole. Aren't you proud of yourself?_ '

"Sarani!" she called out. "Sarani, are you–" That was _way_ too much blood for her comfort level. ' _What did Akihiro do to him?'_

"I'm wounded. Don't–"

Kazusa pulled the shuriken out of Sarani's leg, watching as the blood poured out in far too generous quantities. She held a kunai in her gloved hand, heating the piece of metal until it glowed. It seared her palm, making it painful to the touch, but she applied it to Sarani's wound in the hopes of cauterizing it shut.

How could it be described? Sarani was the curious sort of child who foolishly put his hand on the hot stove or thought the embers of a bonfire were pretty enough to want to touch. The searing heat was enough to turn his brain white-hot like the metal itself. Every nerve in his body woke up with the burned wound and the pseudo-porcine odor of cooked flesh hit both his nose and Kazusa's. He panted, out of breath, praying he could faint, but at least it was over. "You saved my ass."

"Yeah, I did. You saved mine, too." But it left her wondering how safe her ass truly was. _Did_ the Uchiha Clan want her dead?

…

"Sure. Tea would be lovely." Not that Yanagi could pour anything other than water. Nobody trusted her with anything hot yet. Every second Tobirama laid eyes on her, the urge to bash her brother's brains in only intensified.

And yet Osamu sat there with his tired, bloodshot eyes. He took another drag from his pipe and slouched into the cushions, staring off into the great beyond.

' _I hope you overdose,'_ Tobirama thought morbidly. ' _You did your part, but I'm ashamed to call you my friend. I'm ashamed I asked for your help. Had I known you had it in you to do something like this to your own flesh and blood…'_

Yanagi was an utter waste now. She'd be of no further use. He wouldn't discard her entirely out of respect for the bond they used to share. In time, he'd possibly manage to find it in himself to forgive Osamu, but things wouldn't go back to the way they were.

…

 **On occasion, Tobirama smoked from a kiseru. Very few people saw him do it, but Yanagi had caught him in the act a few times. Instead of telling anyone, she shared her tobacco. Tonight, she was the one with the pipe. Although she offered to share, Tobirama declined.**

 **"Between the insomnia and the opiates, I'm having a difficult time finding my brother inside that tired creature. Every day, he's becoming more like our uncle."**

 **"If that's true, you should move out as fast as you can. Get your own place. Better yet, marry somebody. The moment you give yourself to another family, your brother will cease to be your problem anymore."**

 **Yanagi narrowed her steely eyes and shook off the suggestion. "After everything we've been through together, I can't do that to him. Osamu would fall apart without me."**

 **"You aren't obligated."**

 **"Oh, but I am. Wouldn't you do anything for your brother?"**

 **…**

"What you were thinking?! If this was the best solution you could come up with–"

"The truth couldn't get out," Osamu murmured from his seat. "Even if my sister held her own in Torture & Interrogation, the village had grounds to execute her. The dead can still talk and they put up no resistance. I could either decapitate Yanagi and hide her head, or I could keep her here: _alive_. The insane don't serve prison time, nor do the simple. I love her, Tobirama. I just wanted to protect her."

Tobirama's mauve eyes narrowed at his present company. "If this is how you define protection, then I hesitate to ask how you define love." Only two minutes later, Yanagi came back with her teapot and that creepy smile. Up close, he could see the wound from where Osamu or whichever Yamanaka performed the procedure cut her skull open and mangled her frontal lobe. She made a meek noise and nudged her old friend. "No, Yanagi, I–"

"Please. Humor her and accept it. She cries when people refuse. It's like having to take care of a toddler." She had bad dreams at night and screamed, thrashing and kicking around in full terror. She sucked her thumb until it turned the same shade of bloodless white as a drained corpse.

"Shame. She had over thirty years of experience doing that with _you_."

Osamu didn't get up, nor did he look Tobirama in the eye. "You make it sound like this was an easy decision to make. It wasn't. I could lose her altogether or I could lose her in pieces. I at least get to keep her this way."

' _You selfish thing. You–'_

"I don't get why you're so upset. I did this for you."

Tobirama got out of his chair, towered over the sitting man, and got in his face. "I NEVER would have sanctioned this! I wouldn't. I'd _never_ –"

The smell of smoke caught his attention before it caught Osamu's. ' _Is something burning?'_ His first suspicion was that Yanagi left something unattended in the other room, but then came the heat. A chemical smell mixed with the smoky aroma of burning wood and Tobirama saw fire.

 _Blue fire_.

Out of instinct, Tobirama grabbed Yanagi and made a run for it before Osamu could even bring himself to stand. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck and curled her head close to his shoulder. He missed the sarcastic commentary she used to throw his way, or how she threatened to return the favor if he kept treating her like a damsel in distress.

A morbid thought crossed his mind that maybe it would be best to leave her in there, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Her brother never would have come up with doing something this fucked up if he wasn't doped to the gills and trying to help his campaign.

Yanagi made a few more noises, but nothing coherent. She embraced him tightly and watched as the entire house went up in bright flames. It resembled will o' the wisp and burned with enough heat to melt the metal framework. Tobirama attempted to put the woman down, but she had him in a frightened vice grip. Every time he tried, she'd shriek in terror. "No. Let go. Your idiot brother's still in there. He–"

Part of the roof collapsed and he heard a bloodcurdling male scream. The whole house crumpled in on itself. Every smoke-covered piece of glass glowed blue from the inside as the flames consumed everything. "Yanagi, let _go_! I need to–"

The windows broke and the fire shot out from every possible entrance: billowing and unstoppable. By now, other Yamanaka were coming out and leaving their homes in fright. If Yanagi refused to be put down, then Tobirama would simply have to do this with her in tow.

The whole of the village recognized him as a gifted shinobi and one of the few who could use a water dragon technique so far inland. The jutsu collapsed itself onto the building, turning into steam the instant it hit the debris…but the fire had stopped.

Without a second thought, he proceeded to pick through the rubble, trying to find the Yamanaka head somewhere in the mess. A badly burned left arm was unearthed before anything else. Tobirama continued to furiously dig, paying little heed to the other Yamanaka who now stepped forward to help. Nobody expected Osamu to live, not after being trapped in that inferno.

' _Oh god. He's breathing…'_ Tobirama felt the bile rise in his throat when he saw how bad the burns were. ' _He's alive_.' And the opium was only going to help with the pain for a short while longer. But that was nothing in comparison to the ominous thing he sensed off in the horizon.


	12. Lady Mito

Kazusa honestly wished she had a bit more assistance. Akihiro wasn't a small man. She lost count of how many things she'd accidentally bumped him into while attempting to maneuver him back to headquarters. Kazusa even _dropped_ him a couple of times. "Shit. I could carry _you_ in my sleep! Why's he have to be so fucking big?"

Sarani rolled his eyes, watching in irked half-amusement as Kazusa continued to struggle. They'd tied Akihiro's arms tightly behind his back and blindfolded him in the event he woke up and regained consciousness. "What do you think it says about us that the first person we arrest is another Uchiha?"

"It shows that we take the law seriously and don't put ourselves above it." The village would see them as impartial, which was greatly needed in order for the Konoha Military Police Force to be trusted. "Clan heads aren't exempt. _We_ aren't exempt." Not even grieving brothers of fallen friends were exempt.

"So much for arresting Yamanaka Osamu tonight. Dragging Akihiro back is probably going to take you until sundown."

"No thanks to you!"

"Kazusa- _sama_ , you said it yourself. My leg is–"

"I _know!_ " But this bastard weighed so much! If she didn't develop permanent back pain from all the strain he'd put on her, she'd be shocked. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the blue glow of the fire Akihiro started. ' _Osamu's home is ablaze. Maybe we'll be lucky and he and Yanagi will go up in flames along with everything else.'_

But now she had to wonder if any of the other brothers were conspiring in other parts of the village as they dealt with Akihiro. Tenjin had a grand total of six children. Kaizen, Akihiro, and Naho were only half the total. "It almost makes you wonder if Masubi, Mitsuichi, or Muraki–"

"I have my doubts Muraki would pull anything." Sarani stopped for a moment, just so he could apply more pressure to his wound. " _Naho_ , though?"

Kazusa felt that old defensive rage boiling inside her, but her temper quieted down the instant she saw a familiar figure approaching from the same direction as the burning house. ' _Senju Tobirama…'_

He smelled faintly of smoke and parts of his outfit were coated in soot and ash, but the Tobirama appeared otherwise unscathed. His eyes sharply turned toward the duo with their unconscious captive. "Isn't that one of Tenjin's sons?"

Sarani gave a polite bow. Kazusa still had her arms full dragging her prisoner. "He's also under arrest," Kazusa growled. "Arson, attempted murder, hindering an investigation, _treason_ –" Not that the pale man seemed much to care.

"Tether him somewhere and leave him. There's something more dangerous going off in the distance. Your sharingan might prove useful, considering…" He trailed off, catching sight of Sarani's injury. "No. I only need Kazusa."

' _What on earth…?'_ She took a deep breath and tied Akihiro to a nearby tree. Considering how tight the restraints were, he wouldn't even be able to take a deep breath. Tobirama grabbed her wrist, dragging her behind him at his quick, determined pace. "Do you mind telling me what this is about?" Kazusa barked. "What's happening?"

"If you really are my sister-in-law's friend, help me save her." Tobirama never slowed down. If anything, he ran faster. At some point, he released Kazusa's wrist. She followed behind him, doing all she could to match his pace. "I think her seal is starting to crack." Off in the horizon, an ominous red glow greeted them. "We may already be too late."

' _Now I understand why he wants me there. The sharingan has an influence over the Kyūbi._ ' But she wasn't Madara, nor would she ever be. _No one_ in their clan came anywhere remotely close to matching Madara's skill. The red glow only intensified, leaving a black pit of dread souring in Kazusa's gut. ' _We could die…'_

And if they acted as cowards and did nothing, the whole _village_ could die.

…

' _I killed him.'_

Those three words resounded in Mito's mind like a mantra she couldn't shake or stop repeating. It echoed, stabbing another portion of her heart every time the words came back.

How many families were destroyed because they wanted the Hokage position so badly? This entire time, Mito conspired with no one. She never plotted behind anyone's back or sullied her good name. Neither had Daichi. Neither had Sasuke or–

Why did the _good_ men in her life keep dying? Why was it that only the manipulative, the conniving, and the heartless triumphed?!

But those men didn't kill her friend. _She_ did. Mito didn't wield the sword or deliver the killing blow, but Daichi's death was on her hands. ' _All I did was stand there. I haven't attacked, nor have I defended anyone.'_

Mitsuichi came closer, the edge of his sharp metal blade scraping against the stone as he moved.

' _Why did I even agree to carry this thing? Why!?'_ The village was teeming with Okamis, Amanos, Mitsuichis, Tenjins, Osamus, _Tobiramas_ …it would only worsen. ' _Why did I ever want to defend this place? What's the point?'_

Somewhere in her panic and grief, Mito surrendered herself to the rage. The seal would not break, not with as much care and dedication as she'd placed into it, but love failed to feed this thing. _Hate_ did, and presently there was no one Mito hated more than herself.

"Your seal…" Mitsuichi's eyes widened. This wasn't part of the plan. He expected this to be enough for her to back out of the race, realizing her own weakness of character and ineptitude. The killing intent of the chakra wafting from Hashirama's widow, rapidly transforming her body into something _wild_ …he wasn't prepared for this.

"Stand _down_ ," he ordered. "That little girl is _right there_. She–"

Mito said nothing as the chakra covered her body, turning her scarlet and inhuman. A loud roar left her lungs as her right hand swung at Mitsuichi. This one time, she'd let the monster inside take charge and show the world she'd suffered one too many losses.

"STAND DOWN!"

But she didn't. Mitsuichi wove the signs, prepping himself for one of the blue fires Tenjin's line gained notoriety for, but a large blast of chakra knocked him to the ground. Bewildered, he reached for his sword, only for Mito to pin him down.

He stared into her eyes, noticing they'd turned scarlet and feral. A thin trail of saliva left her lips as she snarled at him and bit his throat. The chakra was hate personified and gave its gatekeeper the strength to rip Mitsuichis armor off his body as though it were tissue paper.

Flesh and bone proved to be even easier. Her hands clawed his shirt and chest clean open, ripping entire layers of his body away from the slick and helpless organs that kept him alive.

' _You failed,'_ Mito thought as she felt Mitsuichi kick and buck beneath her as his body did all it could to fight back. She had no more grace, dignity, or pity to give. _'I failed. Don't you see? We're all doomed. This whole_ _ **place**_ _is doomed.'_

Two other figures rushed into the scene: a pair of silhouettes who seemingly coordinated with every move. The red gleam of a three-tomoe sharingan caught her eye from beneath a whole head of crazy black hair. Tobirama, though…she recognized him. Mito hoarsely laughed, her throat raw from all the roars and anguished cries she'd unleashed while mauling this Uchiha who dared to tame her fox.

And now came another one. _With Tobirama_.

"Keep her distracted for me," Tobirama ordered. "Use your eyes if you have to. All I need is to get close enough to better secure the seal."

"And you plan to do this… _how_ , exactly?" A large black ball of chakra lunged at them, leaving a massive hole in the Senju District's main fortifying wall when it missed its living targets. "That could've been us!"

' _Do you_ _ **ever**_ _stop talking?'_ Tobirama wove a series of hand signs, choosing to use another water jutsu. If it could save his life once today, then it could do so it again. Steam wafted everywhere, turning the conditions foggy.

At first, all Kazusa wanted to do was angrily shout at him for using a suiton technique. Humid air made it harder to launch a powerful katon. However, when he pushed her forward toward the fog, she understood: _the fog was a smokescreen and an opportunity to get closer_.

' _I have to get her to look me in the eyes.'_ And with her aptitude for genjutsu, she'd need to come up with something creative enough to lull the beast. Would it be enough to pull Mito out of the fit if she saw Hashirama again?

' _No…'_ Mito wouldn't respond to that. Kazusa knew so little about the woman's personal life that she didn't know if simply seeing a person would be enough. Even if she considered casting an illusion where the three people on the ground got up and left unscathed would do it.

The jinchūriki wasn't looking for her, it seemed. Mito's voice snarled out, crying Tobirama's name with killing intent. ' _I can't let her get to him. He knows how to restore the seal and I don't.'_

That's when it hit her. ' _Henge no jutsu_.' That basic move was taught to Academy students, but maybe she could save Tobirama's life by impersonating him. "Over here, Mito!" she called out. "Come and get me!"

And dear gods, _did she try_. The redhead yowled again, rushing toward Kazusa on all fours like a wild beast. Whole parts of her body had ripped open from the overflowing chakra. That thing resembled Uzumaki Mito no longer, but rather something demonic. It roared, jaw wide open to show its bloodthirsty fangs, and swung at what it believed to be Tobirama.

Kazusa barely dodged the blow, catching note of Mitsuichi's strewn guts and heaving, ripped-open chest in the far corner. She saw Daichi's head halfway hacked off his body. ' _How much of this was you?!'_

This was the woman she'd supported and believed in. She came so close to helping this woman become Hokage! Was the seal so fragile that it could break at any time?!

Mito swung a sharp-clawed hand again, shrieking her lungs out. The illusion broke and Kazusa's flak jacket was demolished. Only her torn linen undershirt and her pale and vulnerable belly stood between herself and a fate like Mitsuichi's. One more blow and she'd be disemboweled.

' _But I've got you. You looked me in the eye.'_ And now was the defining moment: casting an illusion strong enough to give Tobirama the few seconds he needed to come at his sister-in-law with the seal.

…

 **Roars of applause came from all directions within the village. People dressed in bright, vibrant, and cheerful colors because today was worthy of celebration. They all carried red chrysanthemums in honor of the woman they'd come to appreciate for a lifetime of sacrifice, dignity, and innovation.**

 **From the central Hokage building stood an old woman with long red hair down to the ground and more laugh lines than anyone could count without being caught in the act. She raised her right arm and the crowd silenced. All eyes were on her and her council of clan heads.**

 **"There was a time when I felt like a stranger in this land: an unloved outsider** **who served no purpose other than to give your First Hokage a companion. In my old age, I've come to realize how wrong I was. This village…these people…** ** _my people_** **…"**

 **And she saw so many among them holding up their flowers. Uzushiogakure followed Mito's model for this village. She'd even managed to convince her brother-in-law to marry into the Uzumaki line and take a position of power out there.**

 **They would rule as allies, as friends, and lead the world into a golden and progressive age. "I have been honored to be your Hokage for so long. The love you've shown me has left me greatly blessed." Tears of pride welled in her eyes. "For you have made me a woman with** ** _two_** **homes. I thank you…"**

 **Flowers were thrown, well wishes were cast all around, and she even heard music so beautiful that had her old arthritic bones not ached so badly, she'd have gone out to dance. As she turned, seeing her regal and younger face etched in stone alongside Hashirama's, she noticed her assembly of clan heads. Most she'd known their whole lives…and over half of them were women.**

 **"Hokage-** ** _sama_** **…" Kazusa stepped forward, offering her strong arm and a warm, proud smile. "I can see it in your eyes. I'll dance with you, if you wish."**

 **But her eyes were drawn to someone else: a handsome, long-time friend of hers who had never so much as made a move. He smiled, outstretched his arms below, ready to catch her if she jumped–**

 **…**

In the illusion, she jumped from a great height. In reality, she pounced from the wall like a cat, only for a pair of strong arms to catch her. The chakra burned Tobirama as his sister-in-law writhed and struggled, but Tobirama's hand managed to complete and repair the seal. Mito collapsed into him, bloodied and torn. Her eyes were full of tears as he delicately placed her on the ground.

In the golden light of evening, parts of Uchiha Mitsuichi glistened and gleamed when the human body had no business doing such things. He'd lost enough blood for the pools to turn black rather than the expected scarlet. With the young Uchiha's chest cavity torn wide open during Mito's rampage, Tobirama could see at least four different organs strewn about in varying shades of purple, garnet, brown, pink, and gray.

Very briefly, Tobirama's mind recollected the time in the black sea of trees the Yamanaka Clan once called home, prior to the village. One of the dead in the forest was disemboweled and forced to walk around a tree with his guts tied until he ran out of intestines. Yanagi claimed ownership of that death.

This weak little thing before him hyperventilated as his body went into shock. He was internally relieved Kazusa didn't deter him from getting closer. Without the armor, without anything protecting the precious tissues and membranes barely keeping him alive, Uchiha Mitsuichi looked nothing short of pitiable.

' _You're such a young man.'_ Tobirama squatted down, allowing his eyes to meet with Mitsuichi's. He felt the killing intent in what remained of the dying youth's chakra, but it meant nothing. This far gone, all Mitsuichi could do was slowly suffocate and bleed out.

Mito was unconscious and hopefully wouldn't remember any of this when she woke up. It would be up to her brother-in-law to relay what transpired. The seal cracked and she temporarily lost control, releasing up to two tails of the _Kyūbi_ 's chakra. She nearly killed her own grandchild. She appeared to have killed Daichi, too.

And Tobirama wouldn't take Uchiha Mitsuichi off her hands, either. She'd have to live with that death as a reminder of why she should never listen to the monster she carried inside…or lead a village. He moved to sit beside Mitsuichi so he could sit the younger man upright. "Not even a gifted medic can save you," Tobirama whispered. "You'll die."

The Uchiha's eyes began to close as though he were still a little boy tired after a long day of training with his father. "Uzumaki Mito will never be Hokage," he rasped, barely audible.

"And neither will Shimura Daichi," Tobirama whispered into the Mitsuichi's ear. Mitsuichi tensed up. Even softer words needed to be uttered. "For as much hard work and sacrifice as the Yamanaka Clan made in order to put me in power, _this_ cemented it." And the final words he'd utter before this young and fleeting failure would condemn him to whatever hell the Uchiha believed in. "Another Senju will rule and it's all thanks to _you_."

The poor fool tried to fight him, but he lacked even the strength to raise an arm. "Kill me," Mitsuichi begged in a hoarse, weak voice. It hurt so much, having parts of his body strewn about and laid bare that he wished to hide even from the vultures. His chest continued to heave, waxing and waning with every labored and broken breath.

Tobirama could see Mitsuichi's lungs, watching as they inhaled and exhaled in their pained and frantic breaths. _Fascinating_. As interesting as the corpses on the battlefield had been, a live performance from a dying man shed so much more light on how fragile the human body truly was.

Those same two words, _kill me_ , repeated over and over until Mitsuichi lost the ability to speak. Tobirama didn't kill him. All he did was sit there and watch as nature agonizingly and _slowly_ claimed whatever life remained in Mitsuichi's body.

He moved toward his unconscious sister-in-law, noting that Kazusa already had Mito in her arms. Her white kimono was covered in blood, dirt, and grime. Her twin buns had come undone. Even with Kazusa holding her well away from the ground, Mito's long red hair continued to brush the ground.

"Is your clan responsible for any _other_ trouble today?" Tobirama asked sharply, eyes narrowed. "One burns the Yamanaka head's house, another is responsible for this mess–"

"Another brother tried to assassinate me," Kazusa added, refusing to put Mito down. "This isn't an Uchiha problem, sir. It's a _Tenjin_ problem."


	13. Nidaime

Most of the village turned out for Senju Hashirama's funeral. Although it had only been a few weeks, it may as well been a lifetime for the amount of confusion, terror, heartbreak, and rage lingering in the hearts of the surviving villagers. Many influential people within Konohagakure no Sato came out of the campaign broken or dead.

Now they all gathered with a different sea of emotions lodged in their hearts, knowing they'd come here to hear Senju Tobirama's words as the Second Hokage. For many, their hearts were heavy and weary: too tired to fight back any further.

Before leaving her clan's district, Kazusa had caught sight of Setsuna staring off into the distance. His eyes refused to leave the mountain. She considered speaking to him and breaking his concentration, but she abstained. She wasn't in the mood for another guilt trip. All she wanted to do was get this ceremony over with, be recognized officially in the village as head of the Uchiha Clan, and congratulate Kariudo for having the same sort of honor thrown his way among the Inuzuka.

"Do you remember how warm this place felt when Hashirama was named Shodaime?" Kariudo whispered to Kazusa. They'd stand among the other clan heads, rather than their clans.

"Barely. I was a _very_ little girl," Kazusa confessed. Wearing this much regalia felt false to her. The whole ceremony did, and yet the whole village would notice her absence should she decide to hide. "You shouldn't. He was already Hokage by the time your clan joined the village." She did, however, recall the first time she'd met Kariudo…just as he recollected his first memory of this village.

It hadn't been the Senju Clan who reached out to the Inuzuka first.

…

 **The world suddenly felt more claustrophobic.** ** _Join or die,_** **the clans phrased it. While anything felt possible when the Mitokado Clan were their only major threat, the Inuzuka Clan saw the inevitable future. Waging war against one clan was one thing. Waging war against a dozen or more was suicide…and the numbers kept rising.**

 **"I have my reservations, but maybe it's for the best if we join. They're** ** _offering_** **, right? They** ** _want_** **us?"**

 **"More than you realize," the dark-haired stranger in the gold silk shirt responded, continuing to smoke the noxious thing in his pipe. Kariudo didn't much care for the fragrance, but the man himself made the boy feel slightly hungry every time he stared for too long. Their visitor's tight pink burn-scars reminded the child of cooked meat.**

 **Okami's hands remained firmly upon the shoulders of her young son. "Kariudo's at an age where joining the village could greatly benefit my clan. They have an Academy. They have a four man cell program where an advanced shinobi from another clan will see fit to train him alongside children from other clans. That's what you said, isn't it?"**

 **"Indeed, Lady Okami. It is. Our clan head's child is also of age. She's slated to share a team with a child from the Nara Clan. Your son would be a perfect match. Think of the possibilities."**

 **The possibilities? He didn't know this other kid. This strange man was the only Uchiha he'd ever met. He carried himself like a clan head, but he wasn't one. Kariudo couldn't hide his confusion. '** ** _If they wanted us so badly, why didn't the clan head come in person? Who is this man?'_**

 **"Well, Kariudo…" Okami grinned at him, petting her son's wild hair. "You'll take my place someday. Consider this the first big decision you'll make for our glorious and honorable clan. Do you want to do this, or do you want us to stay wild?"**

 **"I–"**

 **"What'll it be, son? Are we wolves or dogs?"**

 **…**

They were dogs: loyal and protective. Kariudo missed his mother greatly, but he knew he wouldn't experience any of the strife as clan head that his friend would among the Uchiha. None of his clansmen questioned his right to rule. They offered advice if they felt he'd take them in a bad direction, but they respected him and already saw him as a man.

Konoha wasn't a mistake. It was the best decision he'd ever made. Okami would probably turn in her grave if she knew her child's priorities, but Kariudo swore allegiance to the village first and his clan second. His personal feelings for the Nidaime were irrelevant. His loyalties would outlive the Nidaime.

"You look ridiculous with that makeup, though," he informed his teammate. "You should've worn your armor and let your hair down."

"Nah. I don't want to embarrass the Hokage or my clan," Kazusa grumbled, checking her reflection in a nearby pane of glass. Kariudo was right; she _did_ feel ridiculous wearing something so dainty and girlish, but Naho went through great lengths to doll her up today.

This was a very important ceremony. The Nidaime would be received by the whole of the village and both Kazusa and Kariudo would be presented as official clan heads.

"But it's _creepy_ when you girl up! I barely recognize you!" Kariudo groaned, wrapping one of his arms around Kazusa's. "And I bet Tochiko won't, either." Their third teammate could stay the hell away for all they cared. They never liked her, anyway.

They wouldn't have an opportunity to stand with their clans. As heads, they stood among other heads. Kariudo stood by Kazusa's side, feeling every bit as young and unsure as she did. They smiled warmly at Mito, but all she did was avert her gaze. Her face turned scarlet and she walked many paces away from Kazusa, not wanting to make eye contact. Kazusa also waved at Amano, feeling sheepish for her clan trashing the Hyūga head's home. Amano glared at her and silently decided the Akimichi head would be far preferable company.

But the one who stood out the most, Kazusa noted, was Osamu. A substantial percentage of the Yamanaka head's body was wrapped in bandages and Hanako pushed him in a wheelchair. She heard the news yesterday: Osamu failed to get out of his house in time when Akihiro torched it. She also heard rumors that a support beam fell and broke his back. These injuries were consistent with what she'd heard.

And yet, somehow, he _smiled_. Despite everything, that bastard still had it in him to _smile_.

…

 **For now, the pain was so bad that Hanako had to move into the house and dress him. Everything from the waist down continued to feel eternally asleep: needles and pins. Such numbness would be preferable to the agony from his burns.**

 **Whenever his pretty little cousin replaced the bandages and put ointment on the burns, she stared at him with pity and morbid curiosity in her eyes. "You're sure you don't want the pipe?" Hanako stared in disbelief as Osamu murmured he didn't.**

 **He'd never walk again. The damage proved to be too great. "Perhaps this is the wake-up call I needed to get clean. I hurt my sister, Hanako. I can't heal Yanagi's brain any more than the village can heal my back."**

 **"Perhaps so," Hanako conceded as she returned to his side with a bowl full of steeped tea bags. "These contain tannic acid, Osamu-** ** _sama_** **. They'll help your wounds heal faster and ease some of the pain." But they'd do nothing in comparison to the opium he'd loved so dearly for years. "Are you sure** ** _now_** **is when you want to go sober?"**

 **"I can be miserable all at once or I can do it in two stages. I'm in agony already." He may as well detox while he felt his worst. "This can't continue. I owe it to our clan to be lucid again," not that he'd done this in a genuine sense since he was Hanako's age. "Yanagi can no longer back me up or pull me out of my moments of distress. Every decision I make now…it's solely mine. It** ** _all_** **falls on me."**

 **She placed the tea onto the worst wounds, silently nodding her head in agreement with her cousin. "If you change your mind–"**

 **"No. For the first time in ages, I feel like I** ** _have_** **a mind again." He refused to lose it. '** ** _But it wasn't all for naught. In the end, despite everything, we achieved our goal. We didn't suffer for nothing.'_**

 **They won.**

 **…**

"What are you smiling at?" Kazusa hissed at Osamu. The Yamanaka head didn't answer her question. He asked Hanako to move him closer to Aburame Mukade and Senju Toka. Somewhere in his low voice and muffled conversation, she heard him make a remark about how sows were sows, even when they put on lipstick.

 _'That man…'_ She'd find some way to bring him down someday _,_ but not today.

"It's about to start," Kariudo whispered, nudging her. "Let's get into place. Are you ready?"

From up above, standing among the assembly of leaders, Kazusa could see the entire village below. Everyone needed to be here, save for the sick and infirm. Within her own clan, she noted Naho's absence, but her one remaining free brother, Muraki, stood in the crowd.

She watched as Toka turned to bow. The other clan heads followed suit, Kazusa included, and Tobirama moved past them in full regalia. They had all dressed in their finest, but the Hokage robes were again to be worn. The greatest of the five great shinobi nations once more had a Kage within their borders.

Kariudo bowed without hesitation, but he'd nudged Kazusa to follow suit. "It doesn't matter how you feel about him," he whispered. "He'll remember you helped save the village."

' _I wonder. Will he?'_

As Tobirama took center stage, the crowd did not cheer for him. Throughout the village came a long and resounding silence. He would speak, they universally decided, and it was up to them to listen.

"I stand before everyone as your official and irrefutable new leader. Effective two days ago, the Fire Daimyo openly endorsed my candidacy for the Nidaime position. So…here I am: your Second Hokage."

He didn't expect these people to applaud for him the way they'd done for Hashirama. The majority of the village _voted_ for Hashirama. They loved his brother fiercely and many showcased that at his funeral. They never realized that even Hashirama had his own hesitations about leadership.

…

 **What did he have to be so depressed about? The village model was** ** _his_** **idea; everyone knew that. Only a hopeless fool would think they stood a chance of being First Hokage over Hashirama. And yet all Hashirama did was quietly sit at his desk and let his fingers stroke the edges of the Hokage hat. His dark eyes remained on the item, staring at it as if it slighted him somehow.**

 **He got like this sometimes, especially if Madara was somehow involved. "He'll be Second, at least," he murmured. "If** ** _anyone_** **deserves it…"**

 **'** ** _But don't you just love democracy?'_** **Tobirama kept the thought to himself. If the Senju head could lead as Hokage once, it would only take another Senju to follow in order to set and solidify the future of this place. A second Senju could prevent civil war.**

…

In his heart, Tobirama knew all along this position would be his. Whether or not he wanted it was moot; the village needed him…and the Yamanaka Clan did the right thing eliminating the Uchiha candidate. Kaizen wasn't Madara by a long shot, but he would have been a problem regardless.

It didn't matter what he stood for. He was merely an obstacle.

"I know there are some among you who had your hopes invested in other candidates. Most of them, I had high hopes for and valued as trusted and honored comrades. It's something I don't take lightly: trust…or friendship…"

…

 **Miharu would never voice it aloud, but Shimura Daichi gained his endorsement at long last. A man willing to put his life on the line to save innocent lives deserved to be Hokage, not a corpse.**

 **Daichi understood something none of the others did: one life did not matter more than a thousand, regardless of rank. That man gave an oath when his clan joined the village. He and every other Shimura would defend Konoha at all costs.**

 **For seventeen years, Daichi fiercely protected Konoha's borders and came back to his son at the end of each mission as a hero worthy of admiration. People called him a war-hawk, never understanding this was what his job required. The weak and gentle were eaten alive.**

 **Miharu understood. The village wasn't as far removed from the Daimyo's treacherous court as he'd first believed.**

 **Knowing that even Mito caved in to endorse Tobirama gave Miharu the bleak realization of what his future would hold. He'd hide, spending the remainder of his days trying to convince the Daimyo to take him back to court. It would be safer, he realized.** ** _Hell_** **would be safer than what was about to unfurl.**

 **The mask would never come off, either. Not even at Daichi's funeral. No one deserved to know how badly he wept underneath the porcelain. His life was over and he knew it.**

…

"If we want this village to work, we need to do away with these knife-in-the-dark tactics within Konoha borders. For all the effort some of us placed on advancing our own ambitions with little to no regard for the people we harmed in the process, we'd do better to turn that side of ourselves toward our enemies rather than each other.

"Some of you may be wondering where we go from here. What changes can you expect, now that we have a new Hokage?"

His hands reached for the edges of the podium as he leaned forward, staring off into the crowd.

"I'm not Hashirama, nor will I ever pretend to be. As much as this village loved my older brother, some of his well-intended idealism is what got us into this mess in the first place. We couldn't survive another Hashirama…"

…

 **Mito wore white to so many funerals as of late that she doubted she'd ever return to wearing anything else.**

 **First, Hashirama died when some younger, faster, ambitious thing from an enemy village managed to get the better of him in a fight. It didn't feel real and hearing that Uchiha Kaizen and Hyūga Kozue tracked down and destroyed Hashirama's killer brought Mito no comfort.**

 **Neither did the news that Sarutobi Sasuke overdosed on medication he'd taken to bypass the bad dreams projected by the Yamanaka Clan. He'd sooner poison himself than face his inner demons. Hiruzen had it in him to be incredible someday and Sasuke wouldn't be there to witness his son's triumphs.**

 **…and neither would Shimura Daichi get to see such things with his own son. Mito saw great promise in Danzō and knew how deeply his father loved him. Those boys would have to stand together, supporting one another as they became the men of their households. Their mothers would need them. Daichi's wife wanted nothing to do with Mito, though, seeing as she led to Daichi's death.**

 **But they weren't the only dead. Just as Hiruzen and Danzō lost their fathers, poor Inuzuka Kariudo lost his mother. Okami's death felt too convenient. It gave off a bad smell, just as Kaizen's death did.**

 **She had so wanted to believe in Yanagi's innocence but all she saw around her were graves.**

 **Tobirama was right. Had she become Hokage, the only Will of Fire left would be the crematorium for all the casualties she'd leave in her wake. She murmured it at first, too low to be heard. Her brother-in-law turned to face her, eyes narrowed.**

 **"…I said I'll concede. I'll endorse you."**

…

"…nor could we survive another power vacuum like the one we just experienced." He heard it among them, already whispering in agreement. It didn't go unnoticed that every clan stood as a group rather than mingling.

' _This is the world I inherit to command: a world where clans come first and the village second.'_ He'd have his work cut out for him. So, too, would Tobirama's other officials.

"I see the limitations of our system and propose before all of you, as a _vote_ , to give me power to name an emergency appointment for the Sandaime in case of my demise. Waiting another month as we did this time will only manage to destroy us."

Almost seventeen years ago, he'd argued with Hashirama against this. He's insisted that emergency appointments were a thing of the past and that the village should be democratic. Now he saw the risks that came with that. They left themselves wide open.

"I don't want you to assume I wish to take your right to vote from you, but the Daimyo chose my sister-in-law to act as regent until I was nominated as Nidaime."

Yes, and everyone saw how effective that was. Mito sat on the balcony as part of Tobirama's family, but she had never felt so much hate from the villagers below as she did now. She covered her mouth to hide the fact she wanted to throw up from sheer nerves.

Kazusa internally seethed at these words. Mito's seal broke when she witnessed the death of a dear friend. The thing that attacked wasn't her, but rather the monster inside.

Although the young Uchiha head now found herself in agreement with Tobirama that Mito would be a dangerous choice as Hokage, there was no point in kicking her while she was down…was there? She tried to turn her attention to Mito, to assure her that she still had a friend in the crowd, but the older woman was too somber and grief-stricken to notice.

"I'll reiterate. This stipulation is for emergency purposes _only_. Hashirama named me in his dying breath. It took us a _month_ to come to that same conclusion. How many lives did we lose while we waited? How many good and promising people died, all because of a few overly ambitious men and women?"

…

 **Another one of his koi died: a remarkably scarlet fish save for the lone white spot on its belly. It floated to the water and the others immediately began to peck at the body.**

 **'** ** _Don't do that. Stop.'_**

 **Tenjin reached with his hands to pick up the dead animal, feeling its slick and slippery body. The others continued to stare up at him hungrily, expecting more. Always more.**

 **These koi were a gift from Toka as a token of gratitude for all his hard work and effort with the Konoha** **Expansion Campaign. She kept a pond at her house, too, and assured him that he'd never truly be seen as a "big fish" in this pond of a village until he had one, too.**

 **In the right lighting, the fish shimmered like gold and jewels. And sometimes he swore he could see the reflections of the dead in the water. As the beautiful creatures swam about, Tenjin saw his father's face in there. When he squinted closer, he saw Kaizen…then Mitsuichi…then Masubi.**

 **The last time the village sat under a full moon, the Son of a Thousand Fires had all six of his children. Now half of them were dead and one was in prison.**

 **Tobirama's first act upon his appointment as Second Hokage involved Masubi's execution for breaking into Archives. Attempting to steal a forbidden jutsu, Tobirama argued, was treason. It was immediately followed by the KMPF arresting Akihiro for attempting to kill not only the Yamanaka head, but also the Uchiha head.**

 **If anything, Kazusa seemed harsher to her own people than the rest of the village when it came to law and order.**

 **Last full moon, Tenjin came close to becoming the father of a Hokage. But Kaizen died…and his other sons tried to avenge him. They weren't as resourceful, patient, or clever as Kaizen. They weren't even close, but that didn't make Tenjin miss them any less. He loved them all.**

 **"I'm sorry," he whispered to the dead animal, carrying it in his hands as he moved into his garden. He intended to bury the creature, hiding it under the earth so none of the feral cats would find it. But as he bent, his knees ached from where he'd knelt earlier for** ** _hours_** **.**

 **For Akihiro's life, he'd had to beg before not only Tobirama, but also Kazusa. The only time he'd remained on his knees for longer had been when he pleaded before Uchiha Tajima to spare his mother's life. It didn't work then, but his pleas before this new Hokage were enough to spare Akihiro. Masubi, he couldn't. And he couldn't bring himself to watch the execution, either.**

 **As he dug a hole with his bare hands, it felt as though more than a dead koi would be left within the ground. All his aspirations would reside there, too. It all rested on Naho now.** ** _Exclusively_** **Naho…and he'd be marrying her off into one of the clan's stronger families in the hopes of restoring what he lost.**

 **'** ** _But what is the point so late in my life? I have lost and I cannot recover. I did this for nothing. I sold my soul to build this palace, and now I find it's empty.'_**

 **A rose bush scratched his hand, tearing at the tight skin and ripping it open. It stung and he placed his hands into the pond in the hopes of removing the dirt. Almost instantly, the fish swam to him and began to lightly nip at his fingers. It didn't hurt, but…**

 **'** ** _I'm not so different from you, am I? So caught up in my pond and picking apart the others…'_**

 **"You're out here again?" Naho moved closer, choosing to sit beside her father. "Father, your** ** _hand_** **."**

 **"…tell me you're fine with Tatsumi," he murmured. She wasn't. He saw it in her eyes. She didn't want to marry at this age, and definitely not to Tatsumi. "He'll provide for you. His family is strong and influential." And grandchildren would be necessary to fill the gaps. Without grandchildren, his whole dynasty would fall apart.**

 **Naho leaned on him, resting her head on her father's shoulder. "How I feel doesn't matter. I'll do it for the family."**

…

"In light of the multiple tragedies and horrors we endured during the period leading up to my official appointment, I realize we _haven't_ distanced ourselves from the sad world we inherited from our ancestors. This past month is proof that all of us carry old grudges in our hearts and may never have it in ourselves to forgive."

But here, Tobirama would give credit where it was due. As he'd called out some, he would praise others without ever naming names…save this one time. "Which is why so much of my hope goes toward our new generation. My sister-in-law suffered a traumatic loss recently and as a result, the seal containing the Nine-Tailed Fox nearly broke."

Mito quietly lowered her head, once again feeling ill and ashamed. What was the point in dragging this out, if only to torment her further?

"An Uchiha controlled the Kyūbi before." And the Uchiha Clan already began to glare, up in arms over whatever insult they believed Tobirama would throw their way. It never came. "And it was another Uchiha who helped me tame it again."

Kazusa's mouth was ajar. She expected him to say a few words to present her before the village as an acknowledged leader, but this–

"Those of you familiar with my clan and my culture know that the Uchiha were once my clan's greatest enemy. Even when my brother tried to put those grudges behind him for something better, I still held onto my personal reservations. The new Uchiha head, _Kazusa_ …I have never felt so sure of the Uchiha's future as I have with her."

This wasn't an endorsement, no matter how much it sounded like one. So far as her clan would see it, this was a _condemnation_.

' _It's already starting…'_ And she could feel all those dark, angry eyes leering at her.

…

 **"What do you** ** _mean_** **he left?!"**

 **Setsuna's heart couldn't handle another loss like this. "I knew he was miserable. I saw the anger in his face at the last clan meeting, but–"**

 **Abandoning the village was suicide. His old friend would never come back, not unless Hashirama and some of the village's most formidable shinobi banded together. Were they to do that, his master would come home in a body bag.**

 **Tenjin stared up at the sky, watching as the clouds moved and turned dark. A storm was coming and he felt it in his bones. "Nobody wanted to listen, he felt. Every time he screamed, it may as well have been into a void or in a room full of the deaf." Tenjin slowly shook his head and put the tips of his fingers to the sleeve of Setsuna's shirt. "I understand. You have more reason to be upset than most, considering the long history the two of you shared."**

 **"After I lost my family, he became my brother!" Setsuna confessed. "I took a vow to follow him, unwavering and forever. We** ** _all_** **took that vow, and look at us! We're stuck!"**

 **But perhaps he'd chosen the wrong Uchiha to say that to. Most of his kin saw this village as a truce for the war-weary and something they'd merely have to tolerate if it meant the violence ceased. Setsuna was in the presence of an Uchiha who sold his good name for wealth and influence.**

 **"Perhaps he simply didn't have it in him to drop the old life for a new one."**

 **"As** ** _you_** **did?" Setsuna would eternally hate this man and everything he stood for. "You sold your good name, Tenjin. You–"**

 **"Judge me all you wish. Names are only names. We belong to something far grander than** ** _names_** **now. And if I had that much responsibility on my shoulders, I'd crack and disappear, too."**

 **…**

The police force would be the last slight he'd ever accept from Konoha. Wealth and political influence didn't buy his loyalty the way it had for Tenjin. None of his relatives lived to see this village. Were they alive now, they would have sided with Izuna on all of this. It was wrong: a beautiful lie presented by the greatest liar he'd ever met.

And now that liar's brother would lead them. Kazusa was too naïve and stupid to see the truth behind everything: that this whole military police force unit was a means of alienating their clan further. But perhaps she'd understand soon enough, considering Tobirama just alienated her, too.

' _Too late, little girl. You burned your bridge with me.'_ And he'd be her co-captain only for as long as it suited him. Things were going to fall apart. Tobirama as Hokage pushed it too far.

"This sickens me," he heard a female voice growl behind him. Turning around, he spotted Keiko with her sword. "They get more power and we're destined to be their guard dogs."

"Madara was right," Setsuna murmured. "He saw this coming and we should have listened." Keiko moved closer. "We'll be taking orders from a puppet." Kazusa could sit her big, fat ass on Tobirama's lap. Every word to come from her lips would be his and what could the clan do to her? _Anything_ would be suspect. "If her ancestors could see this, they–"

"Sssssssh." Keiko stood by his side, allowing her hand to reach for Setsuna's. She gave a strong, supportive squeeze. "You aren't alone, but now is neither the time nor the place."

"…a few good men," he whispered. "That's all it will take, Keiko. A few good men…"

…

"Congratulations are in order, I suppose, seeing as your friend became Hokage today."

Yanagi glanced up at Naho, only mildly interested in what the girl had to say. Naho could feel her blood pressure rise simply by being in her former teacher's presence.

' _I know what I want to say to you. Hanako's not here and neither is Osamu. I can speak my mind freely and you're too fucked up to care.'_

Talking to Yanagi wouldn't accomplish anything, but maybe it would make Naho feel better. Yanagi reached for her teapot, once again offering "tea" for her guest. Naho heard about this through the rumor mill, but she couldn't help herself. She slapped the blonde's hand, causing the porcelain teapot to break. "My brother should have been the one to wear those robes!"

Kaizen could have been a great Hokage. After his death, Naho stole his journal from his desk. She'd read a few pages of it before in her younger years, because what little sister _didn't_ want to spy on her big brother? Kaizen poured his heart and soul into those pages, all because he suspected no one would ever read the contents.

But Naho did.

She found out what happened to her mother through reading the journal, including the part about her father murdering her for giving herself to another man…and her beloved brother helping dispose of the body.

Those pages also gave her the truth about Kaizen's relationship with Kozue as well as his plans for the village. "He would have been the one to tear down the barriers between the clans and put a stop to all this nonsense. We'd build this place together instead of trying to tear each other apart. But we can't do that now. Not with Tobirama."

Yanagi said nothing. She quietly squatted down to reach for the broken pieces of her teapot. Her eyes seemed so much duller now; like slate rather than steel. The Yamanaka woman picked up the shards and stared at them, taking no further action.

"I learned a _lot_ from you, Yanagi- _sama_. I was one of the girls you picked for your program." And it was what marked her transition from a skinny little tomboy with a flat chest and long legs into one of her clan's great and deadly beauties.

Tenjin had his daughter chase after a rising star in the village, wanting some of Yanagi's star power for his own family. Once Yanagi's star fell, he knew the program wouldn't continue and all that effort would go to waste. With no sons at home other than his adopted son, it now fell on Naho to save the line and marry…despite the fact Yanagi taught her how to be a courtesan, not a wife.

"Do you have any idea what kind of damage you did to me? To Hanako? To the all the others!?" It was why she'd secretly revel in the fact Mito wouldn't rule. Yanagi had hand-picked the prettiest flowers she could and turned them into toxic weeds. Her pupils would never have it in them to be good and faithful wives…and now Tenjin expected Naho to _wed_.

Tatsumi would come to get her soon. This visit wasn't meant to last more than fifteen minutes.

"You ruined a good man and put a rotten one in charge. You ruined _me_. You ruined all of us, but you don't even care! Did you even stop to think that we had feelings, too, or were we only–" Naho's breath hitched, her throat sore from all the crying she'd done.

She had to say goodbye to one brother already this month. Over the past two days, she said goodbye to two more. One of the two she had left, she wouldn't see again for five years. She'd have her husband, her father, and her one foster brother. That would be all. Yamanaka Yanagi had deprived her of everything.

"I didn't think I had it in me to hate somebody as much as I hate you. But you don't even remember _any_ of it, do you? What you did to me, to _Kaizen_ , to the village, to–"

What Naho saw next as she shook the blond with enough force to bruise her creamy white arms made her blood freeze.

Yanagi _smiled_.

Whether it came from paranoia, morbid wishful thinking, or the truth, Naho swore she saw a wicked gleam in her former mentor's half-dead eyes…and heard a little giggle.

"You _bitch_ ," she seethed, shaking Yanagi. "You remember! You don't regret a thing, do you!?"

Yanagi's head bounced when Naho knocked her to the ground and repeatedly shoved her into the wooden floor, but the smile didn't go away.

"I hope it hurts! I hope it never _stops_ hurting!"

If karma existed, then she could wish for a long and shameful future for Yanagi. Naho wished for a future where the Yamanaka Clan grew tired of caring for her and left her to rot in a room: forgotten and unwanted.

"You know what my clan used to do to useless pieces of garbage like you? Hn? They'd leave them in the woods to starve. You wait. They'll do the same with you. That or you'll wake up one day covered in bedsores and diaper rash because no one can be bothered to tend to you. I hope your brother's every bit as sick as the rumors say. I hope he takes advantage of you at night because you're too weak to fight back. I–"

"You're done in here," a low voice growled. "Your fiancé is waiting outside." A portly Yamanaka man with a high-rise ponytail and impressive sideburns moved forward, reaching for Naho's sleeve. When the Uchiha girl attempted to slap him, the man caught her wrist and proceeded to drag her out. "The hell is wrong with you? She was your _sensei_ once."

"SHE RAPED AND MURDERED MY BROTHER!" Naho screamed as Inoru pulled her out of the den. She refused to stop looking at the brain-damaged blonde. "SHE REMEMBERS IT! I SAW HER SMILE!"

But Inoru didn't turn around. He walked faster with purposeful, angered steps. "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU SOMEDAY, YANAGI!" Naho swore. "YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'RE…"

It may as well have been white noise in Yanagi's muddied head. Her little smile grew into a grin as she held out her hand and waved _bye-bye_ like a small child to Naho, who kicked and screamed as Inoru dragged her out and toward a future she'd never grow to love.

…

"Is Hanako- _chan_ still staying at your place?"

Kazusa furrowed her brow, stifling a small laugh under her breath. "You don't have to sound so _eager_." She knew Kariudo had a crush on their Yamanaka friend, but now was hardly the time. This week, she'd also have to buy Hanako a second tomato plant to make up for the fact she and Sarani trashed one this week. "Nah. She's moved back into her house. Osamu's staying with her for a while, at least until his burns heal."

He looked terrible at the ceremony, but Kazusa held no pity for that man. If the Yamanaka twins hadn't stepped into this mess in the first place, a lot of good men and women would still be alive. "But I can't make an arrest, unfortunately. Not when the Get Well Soon card he received from the Hokage came with a _pardon_."

This was going to be a disaster. "Honestly, I'm half tempted to take a page out of Hanako's book. How much would you object if I asked to stay at your place for a while?"

"Eh?" The young Inuzuka head laughed. "You aren't asking Naho?"

"I'd be a total idiot if I asked for Naho's help right now. I think half my clan wants me dead now, especially after that stunt the Hokage pulled."

She'd never hear the end of it from Setsuna, Tatsumi, Keiko, Tenjin, and everyone else. Everybody had an opinion suddenly and all of them left her feeling uneasy. While Kazusa knew she never endorsed Tobirama, that wasn't how it appeared. The fact he openly praised her for helping him pacify Mito when her seal cracked stained her with his colors forever.

But she'd do it again if the chance came up. Who wouldn't? Her actions had saved the village. If her clan chose never to offer any voiced gratitude in regard to that, then so be it.

' _I'm not here for you to love me,'_ Kazusa decided as she glanced up at the sky. It would be a hot summer as well as a wet one. Soon, hard rains would come and try their best to wash away the scandal and shame that polluted this village for a hellish month. ' _If I spend my whole life chasing after love, I'll lose sense of my responsibilities.'_

"I don't think my uncles will mind if you want to stay for a few days," Kariudo confessed, "but I really do think you should stay here. Don't let your clan think you're scared of them. You _run_ them, not the other way around." Thinking his friend needed the support, he pulled her into a tight hug. "Let's catch up tomorrow, alright? If you need me, you know where I live."

And he knew where she lived. It felt empty again without Hanako there. "Say…Kariudo? Before you go…" Kazusa squeezed him in the hug, wanting it to last a few moments longer. "This isn't like when we were kids joining a team for the first time. We're leading our families. Will we still be best friends and support each other when we're old?"

Kariudo stroked his friend's frizzy hair, trying to get it to stay down. It refused, standing up even more with every touch. "Always and forever, Kazusa. And with this _village_ , always and forever."

Once her friend returned to the Inuzuka district, Kazusa walked in silence past her fellow clansmen and actively chose to tune out their whispers and gestures in her direction. Her house carried no ghosts, but rather missed opportunities.

"…I'm home," she murmured, expecting no answer in reply aside from a meow or two from her cats.

~END~

 **Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the** ** _Kazusa Densetsu_** **saga, and I'm glad you read from start to finish. If you enjoyed this series, you may wish to check out the** ** _Vines_** **series, as it follows the same continuity. It just takes place a generation later.**


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